Investing in medical innovation: foetal surgery

More and more international patients come to UZ Leuven when they need foetal surgery, a operation or procedure on the unborn child. The centre for foetal surgery in Leuven is one of the biggest in Europe.

Pregnant mothers are welcome for a foetus with spina bifida, for diaphragm defects, or for splitting the placenta of identical twins with the twin transfusion syndriome. A multidisciplinary team of surgeons, gynaecologists, anaesthesiologists, neonatologists and paediatricians looks after these delicate procedures. In 1994 UZ Leuven was to first in Europe to perform keyhole surgery on an unborn child. Today there are more than 200 keyhole surgical procedures a year on foetuses. 

Last edit: 6 august 2024