Congenital Heart DiseaseCurrent News & Research

Research in Fetal Therapy

The UCSF Fetal Treatment Center has been on the forefront of fetal treatment research since it's inception. The first open fetal surgery in the world was performed at UCSF over 2 decades ago and we continue to dedicate ourselves to research and innovation.

International Fetal Cardiac Intervention Registry

The aim of IFCIR is to improve the care and outcome for mothers and babies when the pregnancy is complicated by congenital heart disease in the fetus. Specifically, through this website we share our experiences, protocols, technical aspects and outcome data for fetal patients with congenital heart disease potentially amenable to intervention before birth.

IFCIR represents an independent group of medical centers and healthcare professionals, endorsed by the leading scientific organizations of physicians working in this field,

For more information visit the IFCIR website.

Fetal Treatment Center in the News

Current Heart Disease Research

• Fetal echocardiographic diagnosis of complex anomalies
• Selection criteria for intervention in developing hypoplastic left and right heart syndromes
• Animal models of aortic and pulmonary valve obstruction
• Development of new minimally invasive techniques to correct valvular obstruction

Current General Fetal Treatment Research

• Preterm Labor Factors in Patients Undergoing Fetal Surgery - Lee, Hanmin

  Study analyzing fetal surgery and preterm labor.

• Maternal Outcomes of Fetal Surgery - Lee, Hanmin

  Study analyzing the maternal risks of fetal surgical interventions.

  Publications:

  Golombeck K, Ball RH, Lee H, Farrell JA, Farmer DL, Jacobs VR, Rosen MA, Filly RA, Harrison MR. Maternal morbidity after maternal-fetal surgery. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Mar;194(3):834-9.

• Adhesive and Tensile Properties of Amniotic Membranes - Harrison, Michael

  Examination of a novel preventive “presealant” to protect amniotic membranes during fetal surgery.

  Publications:

  Cortes RA, Wagner AJ, Lee H, Clifton MS, Grethel E, Yang SH, Ball R, Harrison MR. Pre-emptive placement of a presealant for amniotic access. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Sep;193(3 Pt 2):1197-203

• Evaluation of Thoracoscopic and Laparoscopic Techniques for Pediatric and Fetal Congenital Defects - Lee, Hanmin

  Study evaluting recent advances in fetal treatment.

  Publications:

  Cortes RA, Farmer DL. Recent advances in fetal surgery. Semin Perinatol. 2004 Jun;28(3):199-211.

  Ball RH. Invasive fetal testing. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Apr;16(2):159-62