Texas Children’s Fetal Center
At 24 weeks of pregnancy, Jennifer and Duke Keller were happily expecting their second child until an ultrasound revealed some startling news: a large mass on their unborn daughter’s neck.
Specialists at Texas Children’s Fetal Center confirmed the diagnosis and concluded that the growing mass was compressing the baby’s airway. Because there was significant risk that the baby would not be able to breathe on her own, an ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) was performed at birth. Surgery followed at 3 months old. Today, Lauren is a happy girl who enjoys playing with dolls and her sister.
Lauren is just one of 150,000 babies born each year in the United States with birth defects. Texas Children’s Fetal Center is dedicated to correcting these defects—not only in newborns but also in babies not yet born—and to develop new interventions that may prevent many birth defects in the future.
Texas Children’s Fetal Center provides comprehensive care for a multitude of high-risk prenatal conditions. The center is a collaboration of Texas Children’s Hospital, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, one of the top 10 medical schools in the United States.
Texas Children’s Fetal Center, already a leader in fetal surgery under surgeons Drs. Darrell Cass and Oluyinka Olutoye, recently expanded its services with the addition of renowned fetal interventionists Drs. Kenneth Moise and Anthony Johnson. Their expertise includes the diagnosis and treatment of twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), as well as other complicated gestations, including discordant fetal anomalies, isolated fetal growth lag and Twin Reverse Arterial Perfusion (TRAP) sequence.
Providing compassionate, comprehensive care
At Texas Children’s Fetal Center, patients receive the best of care from health care experts world renowned for clinical care, teaching and research, supported by caring and dedicated patient-care providers. Our mission is to provide the best care possible for each mother, fetus and family with:
The center’s diagnostic and therapy options include:
About Texas Children’s Hospital
Texas Children’s ranks among the top five pediatric hospitals in the United States, according to both Child Magazine and U.S.News & World Report. In addition, Child ranks the hospital’s neonatal program among the nation’s top 10. Texas Children’s is currently constructing a maternity center, which is part of a Vision 2010 initiative to transform the hospital from excellence to eminence.
For more information, please contact:
Texas Children’s Fetal Center
Clinical Care Center, Suite 650
6621 Fannin Street, CC650.00
Houston, TX 77030
6620 Main Street, Suite 1450
Houston, TX 77030
Phone: 832-822-BABY (2229) / Toll free: 1-877-FetalRx (338-2579)
Email: Texas Children's Fetal Center
Website: www.fetal.texaschildrens.org