What are the Fetal Interventions for Cervical Teratoma?
There have been several anecdotal reports of intrapartum laryngoscopy or bronchoscopy in cases of fetal neck masses in which the fetus is delivered and the cord is not clamped. However, this approach offers no advantage over standard cesarean section because there were no attempts to prevent uterine contractions. In most cases, the fetus was removed from the uterus, resulting in the loss of uterine volume, uterine tone, placental separation and cessation of uteroplacental gas exchange. The procedure was originally developed for the delivery of fetuses with diaphragmatic hernias who had undergone in utero tracheal clip application to induce prenatal lung growth. The EXIT procedure was specifically designed to preserve uteroplacental gas exchange to provide time to secure the airway as an adjunct to performing the fetal surgery tracheal clip procedure. For this indication, the EXIT procedure provides time for: • Neck dissection • Clip removal • Bronchoscopy • Endotracheal intubation • Su
