Fetal Surgery
Curriculum

Curriculum

Training is conducted at the Cincinnati Children's Fetal Care Center at Cincinnati Children’s, Good Samaritan Hospital and University Hospital. Foong-Yen Lim, MD, coordinates all aspects of the fellowship training program.

Teaching staff includes fetal surgeons and pediatric specialists from Cincinnati Children’s and maternal-fetal specialists from TriHealth and University of Cincinnati Medical Center, along with other specialties.

Educational and Clinical Components

During the training period, fellows will participate in:

Fetal surgery and maternal-fetal medicine educational conferences
Outpatient and inpatient care
Interdisciplinary team meetings with new patients and follow-up consultations with existing patients
Routine and complex fetal surgical procedures
Pre- and postoperative care of patients undergoing fetal surgery
Programmed study of selected readings in Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment
Clinical research projects

One-Month Rotation Opportunity

In addition to the one-year fellowship, the Fetal Care Center offers a one-month rotation, approved by the MFM Board, for physicians currently in MFM fellowship training.

The Fetal Care Center performs more than 200 fetal surgeries per year ranging from fetoscopic laser treatment of TTTS and intrafetal radiofrequency ablation for TRAP sequence to the full range of open fetal surgeries and EXIT procedures. Since 2004, specialists at the Fetal Care Center have performed more than 1,400 fetal surgeries, making it the busiest fetal surgery center in North America.

Fetal Surgery Experience

Fellows will gain experience in:

Diagnostic and operative fetoscopy

Selective fetoscopic laser photocoagulation for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS)
Fetoscopic procedures for amniotic band syndrome, chorioangioma of the placenta, minimally conjoined twins
Fetal antegrade cystoscopy and ablation of posterior urethral valves
Fetoscopic laryngotomy for CHAOS
Fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion for congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Fetal shunt placement

Shunt placement for bladder outlet obstruction, congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) and pleural effusions

Intrauterine transfusion

Treatment of isoimmunization

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)

Intrafetal RFA for TRAP sequence

Open fetal procedures

Resections of CPAM, cervical teratoma, sacrococcygeal teratoma, pericardial teratoma
Vesicostomy creation in bladder outlet obstruction
Pacemaker placement for complete heart block
Repair of myelomeningocele

EXIT procedures

EXIT-to-airway for cervical teratoma, lymphangioma, CHAOS, micrognathia
EXIT-to-ECMO for congenital diaphragmatic hernia
EXIT-to-resection for CPAM, BPS, SCT
Trans-thoracic retrograde intubation EXIT (TRI-EXIT) for neck mass with mediastinal extension

Contact / Apply

If you would like to request an appointment or get more information about the Fetal Care Center, call us at 1-888-338-2559.

To apply, contact Anne Riestenberg, project management specialist, at 513-636-6259 or anne.riestenberg@cchmc.org.

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Fetal SurgeryCurriculum