Fetal Surgery

During the training period, fellows will participate in:

• Fetal surgery and maternal-fetal medicine educational conferences
• Outpatient and inpatient care
• Interdisciplinary team meetings with new patients and follow-up consultations with existing patients
• Routine and complex fetal surgical procedures
• Pre- and postoperative care of patients undergoing fetal surgery
• Programmed study of selected readings in Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment 
• Clinical research projects

In addition to the one-year fellowship, the Fetal Care Center offers a one-month rotation, approved by the MFM Board, for physicians currently in MFM fellowship training.

The Fetal Care Center performs more than 200 fetal surgeries per year ranging from fetoscopic laser treatment of TTTS and intrafetal radiofrequency ablation for TRAP sequence to the full range of open fetal surgeries and EXIT procedures. Since 2004, specialists at the Fetal Care Center have performed more than 600 fetal surgeries, making it the busiest fetal surgery center in North America.

Fellows will gain experience in: 

Diagnostic and operative fetoscopy

• Selective fetoscopic laser photocoagulation for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS)
• Fetoscopic procedures for amniotic band syndrome, chorioangioma of the placenta, minimally conjoined twins
• Fetal antegrade cystoscopy and ablation of posterior urethral valves
• Fetoscopic laryngotomy for CHAOS
• Fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion for congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Fetal shunt placement

• Shunt placement for bladder outlet obstruction, congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) and pleural effusions

Intrauterine transfusion

• Treatment of isoimmunization

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)

• Intrafetal RFA for TRAP sequence

Open fetal procedures

• Resections of CPAM, cervical teratoma, sacrococcygeal teratoma, pericardial teratoma
• Vesicostomy creation in bladder outlet obstruction
• Pacemaker placement for complete heart block
• Repair of myelomeningocele

EXIT procedures

• EXIT-to-airway for cervical teratoma, lymphangioma, CHAOS, micrognathia
• EXIT-to-ECMO for congenital diaphragmatic hernia
• EXIT-to-resection for CPAM, BPS, SCT
• Trans-thoracic retrograde intubation EXIT (TRI-EXIT) for neck mass with mediastinal extension

If you would like to request an appointment or get more information about the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati, call us at 1-888-338-2559 (1-888-FETAL59).

To apply, contact Anne Riestenberg, program coordinator, at 513-636-6259 or anne.riestenberg@cchmc.org.