Fetal Surgery

Fetal surgery (sometimes referred to as prenatal surgery) is a surgical sub-specialty of pediatric surgery that includes any of a broad range of surgical techniques that are used to treat birth defects in fetuses who are still in the pregnant uterus. Fetal surgery can also be performed by perinatologists as it is part of the curriculum of maternal-fetal medicine fellowships.

Notable Fetal Surgeons

 * Dr. Addison Montgomery (Director of Medicine and staff, OB/GYN at Seaside Health and Wellness, OB/GYN, neonatal-fetal surgeon at St. Ambrose Hospital, and former Chief of OB/GYN and Neonatal Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital)
 * Dr. Vanessa Hoyt (Attending Perinatologist at St. Ambrose Hospital)
 * Dr. Vivian Carlsmith (Attending Obstetrician-Gynecologist/Perinatologist at UCLA)
 * Dr. Emma Marling (Chief of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Seattle Presbyterian Hospital)

Notable Cases

 * Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) (Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head): Addison works to separate fetal blood vessels in twins sharing a placenta using fetoscopic laser ablation (using a laser to sever the fetal blood vessels)
 * Mirror Syndrome with a In-Utero Blood Transfusion (Ex-Life): While Addison is at Seattle Grace Hospital tending to her brother, Derek asks Addison to consult on his patient, who is showing signs of Mirror Syndrome, caused by the baby's anemia following a blood transfusion with the mother in surgery and causing congestive heart failure in both mother and child. Addison recommends delivering the baby, while Derek suggests a in-utero blood transfusion, despite the fact he knows nothing of the procedure and Addison is highly against the procedure, and the mother insists on the blood transfusion. Addison does successfully tranfuse blood into the baby, resolving the heart failure and anemia, not while berating Derek for cornering her into this.

Notes and Trivia

 * Although pediatric surgeons are capable of performing fetal surgeries, fetal surgeons are far more skilled.
 * There are only 8 people in the world, including Addison, who can perform fetal surgery on a world-class level.
 * Perinatologists are also fetal surgeons as they perform fetal surgeries in-utero.
 * Although Dr. Lucy Fields is a maternal-fetal medicine fellow, she had not finished her fellowship by the time she left Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, and is not considered a fetal surgeon.