What Is Fetal Surgery?

Fetal surgery is any surgical procedure performed on the baby in the uterus as an intervention for a disease affecting it. Such surgery can be performed under local or general anesthesia. The primary focus of this process is to address birth defects, such as malformed internal organs or skeletal dysplasias (bone diseases, such as achondroplasia).

Fetal surgery is done with an array of instruments, from simple forceps for removal of skin to lasers.