Welcome to Amir Alhajjat, MD
|
|
We are pleased to welcome fetal surgeon
Amir Alhajjat, MD
to the
The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health!
His skills and expertise will allow us to advance several innovative new programs to care for an increasingly broader group of patients. Dr. Alhajjat is a specialist in fetal surgical intervention and has a strong interest in minimally invasive newborn surgery. In his research laboratory, he will study the immune response to in-utero stem cell transplantation and maternal-fetal immune tolerance during normal and complicated pregnancy.
|
|
Spotlight: Twin To Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) Program
|
|
Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a condition that occurs in monochorionic-diamniotic pregnancies (mono-di). The placenta normally maintains complex blood flow networks that balances the flow between the fetuses. However, in 10-15% of mono-di pregnancies, these networks have abnormal connections to each other that disrupt the normal balance resulting in low blood flow to one twin (donor) and high blood flow to the other twin (recipient). As a result, the donor twin has low blood pressure, grows poorly, and has oligohydramnios.
Conversely, the recipient twin grows well but the increased blood flow leads to high blood pressure that causes cardiomyopathy and polyhydramnios. TTTS is staged depending on the visualization of a bladder, Doppler wave forms, cardiomyopathy and presence of hydrops. The prognosis is poor if left untreated with reported perinatal mortality ranging from 60-100%. In advanced stage disease, intervention is the standard of care. Selective fetoscopic laser photocoagulation (SFLP) is the treatment of choice in the majority of cases.
The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health offers SFLP. Despite the serious nature of TTTS, the outcomes after surgery are very good in most cases. Our fetal surgeons have refined the approach over hundreds of cases and expect that 89% of the time after the operation at least one twin will survive, and greater than 75% of the time both twins will survive.
|
|
Twin Girls Thrive Thanks to Expertise in Fetal Surgery
While Kimberly Husko and her husband Jeremiah were excited to learn they were expecting twins, a routine ultrasound during Kimberly’s second trimester caused concern: it couldn't detect one of the baby’s bladder. "We had no idea what it could mean," says Kimberly. "We were just anxiety-ridden."
Kimberly and Jeremiah were referred to
The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health
at Lurie Children's. There, Kimberly underwent additional tests which indicated that the twins were suffering from twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a prenatal condition in which twins share unequal amounts of the placenta's blood supply, resulting in different growth rates. If left untreated, the condition can result in extremely premature birth or even death to at least one twin.
|
|
Visit Our Exhibit Booth at the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine Meeting
|
|
Are you attending the 2020 Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine Annual Meeting at the Gaylord Texan Resort in February? Stop by booth 325 to meet key members of our fetal health team and learn more about our center.
|
|
Fetology Chicago: Practice and Discovery
|
|
Our first
Fetology Chicago: Practice and Discovery
conference was held on September 19 and 20, 2019 at The Omni Chicago Hotel. The educational event featured regional, national and international experts who provided insights into fetal intervention for prenatally diagnosed conditions.
The program
was divided into five general session topic areas: fetal neurosurgery, fetal thoracic disease, twin to twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), urology/nephrology and cardiology. The curriculum also featured two breakout sessions focusing on counseling for fetal intervention and navigating individualized care after a fetal diagnosis, as well as concurrent live scanning sessions focusing on utilizing Doppler to maximize the fetal cardiac evaluation and fetal neuro and thoracic imaging.
We welcomed four renowned invited speakers: Dr. Ahmet Baschat, Director of Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy, Dr. Foong-Yen Lim, Surgical Director of Cincinnati Fetal Center, Dr Wayne Tworetzky, Director of Fetal Imaging and Fetal Cardiology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Dr. William Whitehead, Director of Clinical Outcomes and Research at Texas Children’s Hospital. There were 80 attendees from 11 states and included physicians, surgeons, fellows, residents, advanced practice providers, nurses, sonographers, genetic counselors, researchers, and other clinical staff.
Thank you to our planning committee, speakers and moderators for contributing their time, energy and expertise into making the program so robust and enlightening. We look forward to hosting another successful conference on September 10 and 11, 2020 at The Omni Chicago Hotel and hope to see you there!
|
|
On behalf of our entire team,
best wishes for a wonderful New Year!
|
|
The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health is a leader in the research and care of pregnant women with fetal complications.
As one of only a few comprehensive fetal centers in the country, the Institute offers prenatal counseling, care and intervention, if needed.
Our specialists performed more than 2,000 consultations last year for all types of fetal conditions with expectant parents from across the country. No patient was turned away.
The Chicago Institute for Fetal Health partners with world-class specialists at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, one of the top pediatric hospitals in the nation, as well as the top-ranked Northwestern Medicine’s Prentice Women’s Hospital.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
