BELLY GOOD NEWS!

A British baby is thriving after pioneering surgery was carried out before he had even been born.

Little Theo’s parents, Maisie and Josh, discovered at their 20-week scan that their unborn son had complex gastroschisis, a rare abdominal-wall defect which meant his intestines were developing outside his body. Texas Children’s

Normally, babies born with gastroschisis require surgery after birth to place the exposed intestines back inside the abdomen. In the most serious cases, children can face several operations, lengthy stays in neonatal intensive care and prolonged intravenous feeding while their bowel recovers. Texas Children’s

But Theo was offered an extraordinary alternative.

His parents travelled from London to Houston, Texas, where specialists at Texas Children’s Hospital are conducting an international clinical trial investigating whether operating before birth could reduce damage to the bowel and improve outcomes for babies with the most severe form of the condition. Great Ormond Street Hospital is among the centres collaborating on the study. Texas Children’s

At just 26 weeks into the pregnancy, surgeons carried out the pioneering procedure while Theo was still safely inside his mum’s womb.

The treatment is designed to help return the exposed intestines to the abdomen and allow the bowel to recover during the remainder of the pregnancy. Theo became the first UK baby — and one of only three children worldwide at the time — to receive the treatment. GOSH Hospital site

And what happened next is the really good bit.

Instead of the difficult start his parents had feared, Theo remained in the womb until full term. He was born naturally at 39 weeks, was able to breastfeed and went home from hospital just three days later. Months later, back home in London, he is reported to be healthy and meeting his developmental milestones. Texas Children’s

Dr Sundeep Keswani, principal investigator of the clinical trial, described seeing Theo born healthy and leaving hospital only days later as “extraordinary.” Texas Children’s

For Maisie and Josh, the contrast between what they had feared and what actually happened could hardly have been greater. They had been preparing themselves for operations, intensive care and uncertainty after their son was born.

Instead, they took their baby home.

There could eventually be implications far beyond Theo, too. Researchers believe that what they learn from operating successfully before birth could help advance fetal treatments for other serious conditions involving organs including the heart, lungs and brain. Texas Children’s

There is an important note of caution: this treatment is still investigational. The US Food and Drug Administration-regulated clinical trial is continuing to assess its safety, feasibility and potential effectiveness, and Theo’s remarkable result does not mean every baby would have the same outcome. Texas Children’s

But for one little boy from London, pioneering medicine has already made an extraordinary difference.

From a frightening diagnosis at a 20-week scan to being home, healthy and thriving.

Now that’s belly good news.