With all the scientific advancements we've witnessed throughout our lifetimes, medical miracles seem to happen at an increasing frequency these days. But they never seem to get any less awe-inspiring. Doctors at Boston Children's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital recently performed an incredible surgery, saving the life of an unborn baby.
A few months ago, Louisiana couple Derek and Kenyatta Coleman went to their 30-week ultrasound, where doctors discovered an abnormality. Not long after, they learned that their baby had a vein of Galen malformation, a condition caused by a blood vessel abnormality that causes high blood pressure. Up until that point, the Colemans thought it was a perfectly healthy pregnancy. But VOGM is fatal, so decisions had to be made quickly. The couple decided to join a clinical trial.
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Babies with VOGM are usually treated after birth.
“Tremendous brain injuries and immediate heart failure after birth are the two big challenges,” Dr. Darren Orbach, a radiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and expert in treating VOGM, told CNN.
Still, infants with VOGM are typically treated after they are born. But the success rate is not high. According to Orbach, 50 to 60% of babies born with VOGM become very ill and the mortality rate is about 40%. Those who do survive often have ongoing cognitive issues.
But the clinical trial was risky as well.
Brigham and Women’s and Boston Children’s hospitals were running a clinical trial at the time the Colemans learned of their baby's diagnosis. While the odds of their baby being healthy, let alone surviving if she had been treated after birth, were slim. The trial could potentially lead to preterm labor or brain hemorrhaging.
Neither scenario was ideal, but doctors urged the Colemans to go with the trial, and that's what they did. If successful, it offered the best chances for their little girl.
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The procedure was complicated.
On March 15, exactly one month after the 30-week ultrasound, Kenyatta Coleman and her baby underwent surgery to treat the VOGM. After making sure the baby was in the right position, the medical team administered a pain medication as well as one to keep the baby from moving out of position.
A team of surgeons and support staff inserted a needle to place a small catheter into the vein, which slowed blood flow and relieved pressure, according to CNN. Doctors noted improvement immediately.
"It was exhilarating at the moment that we had technical success at doing the embolization," Orbach told CNN.
The surgery was performed just days before the Colemans' baby was born.
The baby was born just two days later, at 34 weeks. Kenyatta Coleman was leaking amniotic fluid after the VOGM surgery. But their daughter, Denver, had few complications. She was born at 4 lbs., 1 oz., likely because she was a few weeks shy of full-term, and didn't need any immediate treatments related to the VOGM.
“I heard her cry for the first time and that just, I — I can’t even put into words how I felt at that moment,” Kenyatta Coleman told CNN. "It was just, you know, the most beautiful moment being able to hold her, gaze up on her and then hear her cry."
Baby Denver is a miracle.
Now at 2 months old, the Colemans report that Denver is thriving. She has not needed any further medical interventions, is not on any medication, and her neurological exams have been normal.
"She’s shown us from the very beginning that she was a fighter,” Kenyatta Coleman said. “She’s demonstrated … 'Hey, I wanna be here.’“
