An x-ray showing the tumor on Lyna's mouth.
Posted on 06/25/2012 3:50:55 PM PDT by wagglebee
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 25, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Expectant parents have less to fear from birth defects, thanks to a recent breakthrough in prenatal surgery.
A Miami girl, Lyna Gonzalez, underwent a never-before-done surgery that saved her life – while she was just seventeen weeks in the womb. Today, the only sign of the operation is a slight scar on her lip.
The May 2010 procedure removed an oral teratoma, a tennis ball-sized benign tumor that had formed on Lyna’s mouth.
When Lyna’s condition was first diagnosed doctors were sure the baby would be stillborn or would need life support and numerous surgeries after birth. The mother’s gynecologist suggested aborting the little girl.
“It’s the most horrible feeling you could ever imagine; physically, emotionally, mentally,” Tammy, the baby’s mother, told CBS.
An x-ray showing the tumor on Lyna's mouth.
But the parents’ research led them to Dr. Ruben Quintero, a University of Miami/Jackson Memorial fetal surgeon. With a record number of breakthroughs in prenatal procedures, Quintero – along with Dr. Eftichia Kontopoulos – led an ultrasound-guided surgery, using an endoscope to remove the tumor.
Quintero invented some of the instruments used in the operation.
“This was an opportunity to expand the field we have developed, to treat birth defects in utero,” said Quintero.
Lyna was born completely healthy, weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce. Today she is an energetic twenty-month-old.
Oral teratoma occurs in 1 in 100, 000 pregnancies. With over 4 million babies born in America each year, this procedure is set to benefit many.
“This is what happens when we allow ourselves to focus on the unborn baby as a patient and person - extraordinary, life-saving medical procedures,” said Monica Rafie, speaking on behalf of Be Not Afraid, a pro-life organization that provides support for parents given poor prenatal diagnoses.
Rafie congratulated Dr. Quintero, saying, “Kudos to Dr. Quintero and team and all those like him who are willing to take on the challenge of helping babies in utero.”
But while expressing hope for cutting edge procedures such as the one that saved Lyna’s life, Rafie cautioned parents given a poor prenatal dignosis against expectations, either good or bad: “It is important to not appear too invested in any particular outcome, because sometimes babies who had a good prognosis don’t do as well as expected, and similarly, babies who were not expected to survive beyond birth end up thriving.”
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That thing was huge. It probably had to develop extremely quickly to reach that size at 17 weeks.
A teratoma is an encapsulated tumor with tissue or organ components resembling normal derivatives of all three germ layers. The tissues of a teratoma, although normal in themselves, may be quite different from surrounding tissues and may be highly disparate; teratomas have been reported to contain hair, teeth, bone and, very rarely, more complex organs such as eyes, torso, and hands, feet, or other limbs.
Usually, however, a teratoma will contain no organs but rather one or more tissues normally found in organs such as the brain, thyroid, liver, and lung. Sometimes, the teratoma has within its capsule one or more fluid-filled cysts; when a large cyst occurs, there is a potential for the teratoma to produce a structure within the cyst that resembles a fetus. Because they are encapsulated, teratomas are usually benign, although several forms of malignant teratoma are known and some of these are common forms of teratoma. A mature teratoma is typically benign and found more commonly in women, while an immature teratoma is typically malignant and is more often found in men.
Teratomas are thought to be present at birth (congenital), but small ones are often not discovered until much later in life.
My niece had one that was removed from her ovary when she was in here late 20's or early 30's.
We can kiss all of these miracle breakthroughs and much, much more goodbye, if 0bummerDeathSentence is either upheld, or the Traitor-In-Chief ignores the SCOTUS’ unconstitutional ruling and end-runs-around it, like he just did with the AZ ruling.
undeveloped twin?
The gynecologist's reaction to the news, "Well, Excuuuuuuse Me!"
Beat me to the draw.
That was my first thought also.
Excellent. Thanks.
No, but she and her mom freaked out, though. I think the undeveloped twin part is a different mass.
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