Fetal Center

If your baby is found to have a high-risk fetal condition, the Fetal Center will coordinate any additional testing and consultation with multiple specialists to provide a clear picture of your situation.

A high-risk fetal condition is a complication in your unborn baby that may pose a risk to your pregnancy. A few high-risk conditions include a birth defect or genetic condition in the fetus, pregnancies with more than one fetus (twins or triplets), preeclampsia, or poor growth in the fetus.

While most fetal conditions are managed through noninvasive treatments, some conditions may require fetal surgery. At Riley Children’s, we offer fetal surgery with the latest fetal interventions and procedures performed by fetal interventionalists in our Maternity Tower at Riley Hospital for Children.

Fetal surgery aims to repair a fetal condition while your baby is still in the womb. These procedures are not only seen as fetal interventions, but as maternal-fetal interventions. We are focused on both the baby as well as your safety before, during and after the procedure – and leading-up to delivery.

All procedures are supported by a care team that is available 24/7. Our highly skilled team is the only in Indiana performing these complex, delicate procedures. Our goal is to improve your baby’s chance of survival. The fetal interventions we offer include:

• Selective fetoscopic laser photocoagulation (SFLP)
• Vesico-amniotic and thoracic-amniotic shunts
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Amniotic band release
• Fetal blood sampling or PUBS
• Mini-laparotomy/percutaneous fetoscopic myelomeningocele repair

A fetal interventionalist is a maternal-fetal medicine doctor with specialized training in surgical interventions to treat life-threatening birth defects. Our highly skilled fetal interventionalists at Riley Children’s lead many of these procedures.

At our fetal care conference, our team will discuss delivery recommendations to safely care for both you and your baby. This may include delivery at the Maternity Tower or delivery at your home hospital. Our care team will present your delivery plan options and coordinate care after childbirth.

The Fetal Center has multiple fetal care coordinators that provide support for you and your family during pregnancy. We understand that health concerns can be stressful and we are focused on delivering compassionate, personalized care. This may include answering your many questions, taking the time to review the diagnosis together, or checking-in with you after appointments.

It could also include introducing you to our Advanced Care Planning Program for birth planning for babies that do not have a survivable condition. This team provides comprehensive support, decision making and memory making at and after delivery. All are focused on making this time with your baby meaningful for your family.

If you have been told during your pregnancy that your baby has a congenital birth defect, your provider may send a referral to our center. Once received, our team will contact you soon to schedule your appointment and answer any questions. Patients may also refer themselves by calling 317.948.5077.

For pregnancy-related questions or if you think you may be in labor, please call your obstetrician or maternal fetal medicine specialist. Otherwise, to contact the Fetal Center, please call 317.948.5077.

To help prepare for the birth of your child, we offer a variety of classes, workshops, and support groups about caring for newborns, breastfeeding and more. Explore the schedule of current programs available online and in-person near you.

With recent advancements in prenatal diagnostics, specialists can now identify cystic fibrosis (CF) in-utero, which enables earlier fetal interventions. One such intervention is prenatal ETI (elexacaftor-texacaftor-ivacaftor, also known as Trikafta), a promising therapy for certain CF mutations.

By administering the triple-combination modulatory therapy to the mother, fetal exposure to the medication may improve CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) function in the developing fetus. This may potentially reduce the severity of CF bowel-related symptoms before birth.

Note that the use of ETI during pregnancy is a recent development, there is currently minimal data on the short-term and long-term health benefits. Further research is important to fully understand its safety and efficacy during pregnancy.