KONYA, Turkey
Turkish doctors have conducted a kidney surgery on a four-month-old baby still in the womb of its mother, in a rare and difficult medical operation.
Both Rukiye Akis, 18, and her unnamed baby are fine following the surgery late last month.
Rukiye and Musa, 24, got married six months ago and learned in December that they would have a baby.
Their joy turned sour when the doctors told them the baby had kidney disease.
The four-month-old’s bladder was swollen and the amniotic fluid – protective liquid that helps the fetus grow in the womb – was depleted when the doctors decided to intervene, said Professor Ali Acar – who led the medical team that conducted the operation – from Necmettin Erbakan University in the Anatolian city of Konya.
“It was a difficult surgery because of the baby’s prenatal condition and its growth,” Acar told the AA reporter. “Its bladder and kidneys were swelling with water because the urinary tract was blocked.”
The baby weighed 400 grams and was 20 cm tall when the operation took place.
Acar said if left untreated, the condition would lead to kidney failure and either necessitate abortion or result in the baby being born with kidney impairment.
The medical team led by Acar, with five years of experience in such surgeries, went ahead with the surgery – without incision – which placed a shunt in the baby’s bladder to remove the excess fluid.
The surgery was successful in helping the baby’s condition return to normal, Acar said.
The young couple and parents-to-be said they were delighted and looking forward to meeting their baby safe and sound.
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