A woman becomes the first in the UK to have surgery performed while her baby is still in the womb to treat complex gastroschisis, a birth defect in which the intestines develop outside the body. The BBC reports that Theo is the first British baby to undergo an operation in utero as part of a pioneering clinical trial, aiming to correct the condition before birth.
Gastroschisis can lead to serious complications, and surgery after delivery is often challenging. In this approach, doctors operate during pregnancy to improve the baby’s prospects by correcting the defect earlier. The report describes the case as “pioneering” and highlights that the clinical trial is designed to evaluate outcomes for babies who need complex repair.
Other reporting on the same story reiterates that the surgery is designed to fix the defect while the baby is still developing in the womb. Details on trial size, timelines, and broader results are not provided in the available summaries.
