What if doctors could fix a life-threatening birth defect before a baby was even born?
For five-month-old Theo, that remarkable possibility became reality through a pioneering operation that could transform fetal medicine.
Theo was diagnosed during pregnancy with complex gastroschisis, a rare condition.
The abdominal wall fails to develop properly, leaving the intestines outside the body.
Theo became the first British baby to be operated on in the womb to correct complex gastroschisis
In severe cases, babies can spend months in intensive care, undergo multiple surgeries and, in some instances, not survive.
At 26 weeks pregnant, Theo’s mother, Maisie Savage, traveled from London to Texas Children’s Hospital to join a first-of-its-kind clinical trial.
Historic Womb Surgery
Surgeons temporarily exposed her womb and used minimally invasive keyhole surgery to gently return Theo’s organs to his abdomen.
They then stitched the opening closed, all while he remained in the womb.
“It was a huge decision,” Maisie said, recalling the journey.
Her husband, Josh, described the hours during surgery as agonizing, adding, “The waiting… felt like a week.”
Dr. Michael Belfort, who led the procedure, called the outcome “remarkable,” highlighting that there were zero complications for both mother and baby.
Theo was later born naturally and is now thriving.
Experts at Great Ormond Street Hospital hope to bring the ground-breaking procedure to the UK if the trial continues to succeed.
Sometimes, the greatest medical breakthroughs begin long before a baby’s first breath.
