CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Chinese doctors have successfully reduced a potentially life-threatening lung tumour in an unborn baby using a minimally invasive microwave ablation procedure while the baby was still inside the mother’s womb. The procedure was carried out by specialists from Shenzhen Baoan Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The baby was diagnosed with congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM), a rare condition in which abnormal lung tissue develops during pregnancy. In severe cases, the abnormal growth can expand rapidly and put significant pressure on the developing heart and lungs.
Doctors detected the condition when the mother was 22 weeks pregnant. Imaging showed that the growth had reached around 5 cm and was occupying much of the baby’s right chest. The fetus had also developed ascites, a potentially serious accumulation of fluid in the abdomen.
Because the growth consisted of numerous small cysts and lacked a central blood vessel suitable for conventional treatment, doctors opted for microwave ablation. Using real-time ultrasound guidance, they inserted a thin needle through the mother’s abdomen and uterus into the abnormal tissue and delivered microwave energy to generate heat and destroy the tissue from within.
The procedure took about two minutes, with doctors continuously monitoring the baby and surrounding organs. The tumour had shrunk significantly within three days, while the abdominal fluid had disappeared. The baby was later delivered by Caesarean section at 37 weeks, weighing about 2.9 kg. At four months, the child was reported to be symptom-free without requiring further surgery.
Doctors described the case as a potential milestone in fetal medicine but stressed that the safety and effectiveness of the technique cannot be established from a single case. Further research will be required to determine whether microwave ablation can become a standard treatment option for severe CPAM cases.
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