Selective Fetoscopic Laser Photocoagulation (SFLP)

What to Expect

Preparing for the procedure

• Tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you take including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and pain medicines.
• Don't put anything in your vagina for 24 hours before the procedure. Don't have sex.
• If instructed, don't eat or drink anything for at least 8 hours before the procedure including water. If you have diabetes, ask your provider for additional instructions.

The day of the procedure

• An IV (intravenous) line is placed in your hand or arm. It sends fluids and medicine into your body.
• You will be given spinal or epidural anesthesia. This is medicine to keep you free of pain. This will make you numb from the waist down. Depending on what type of anesthesia you get, you may be relaxed, drowsy, or fully asleep during the procedure.
  
• You may also be given medication to prevent contractions or labor
• The healthcare provider starts with an ultrasound examination to find the best insertion site for the fetoscope.
• A small skin incision will be made to insert the fetoscope into the uterus under continuous ultrasound guidance.
• Once inside the uterus, a laser fiber is inserted into the fetoscope. The placental vessels that cause the TTTS are coagulated under direct vision.
• At the end of the procedure, if necessary, excess amniotic fluid may be drained through the fetoscope.
  
  
  

After the procedure

• You will be taken to a room to recover from the anesthesia. Nurses will check on you as you rest.
• You will be watched for signs of preterm labor. You will be given medicine that helps prevent preterm labor.
• You will stay overnight in a hospital room. This is to make sure you don't go into preterm labor.
• The next day, you will have an ultrasound.
• When you leave the hospital, have an adult friend or family member drive you home.