Breakthrough prenatal therapy saves children with congenital vascular malformations

Vascular malformations are congenital abnormalities of vascular development that can involve various vessels - lymphatic, venous, capillary and arterial. They often pose a serious threat to the health and life of fetuses and newborns. In Lynx, now 16 months old, and Gabrys, now 3 months old, doctors identified abnormalities of vascular development already in fetal life, during the second trimester of pregnancy. In both children, the malformations were very extensive and increased dynamically with each week of pregnancy, threatening dangerous pressure on the organs.

- After a prenatal MRI was performed on Lynx's mother, it became clear that the lesion involved the left lower limb and buttock, but also penetrated the pelvis and abdominal cavity. In addition, at the 32nd week of pregnancy, the boy was found to be bleeding into the malformation cyst. The fetus' condition was deteriorating dangerously, and prenatal Doppler ultrasound showed features indicative of progressive anemia. With mom's coexisting polycystic anemia, preterm labor was expected and there was concern that the baby would be born in poor condition...," says Prof. Ewa Bien, deputy head of the UCK Department of Pediatrics, Hematology and Oncology, who is also founder and chair of the Section on Vascular Anomalies of the Polish Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology and a consultan...