Doctors Have Removed a Tumor on a 17-week old Fetus
Doctors from the United States have worked a miracle: during an innovative surgery they proved to be able to remove a tumor from the lip of a four-month-old fetus in the womb.
The medical examination of an American woman Tammy Gonzalez during the 17th week of pregnancy showed that the fetus had a tumor in the mouth. The doctors have determined a rare type of cancer – oral teratoma. According to them, the chances of the girl’s survival were minimal. The first surgery of this kind helped to save the life of the child, born five months afterwards.
The surgeons of the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida called this tumor extremely rare, and they had seen it only once in 20 years. During the surgery, the pregnant woman was given a local anesthetic, and the uterus and amniotic membranes were entered with a long needle. The tumor on the lips of the child was removed with a laser. The surgery lasted just over an hour.
The woman told during a press-conference that when the surgery had ended, and the doctors had removed the tumor, she had felt a great relief. The girl’s face could finally be seen. She called the surgeons saviors. This is the first successful surgery to remove an oral teratoma on a fetus.
