Antenatal corrective cardiac surgery: An emerging area for technological innovation

Abstract

The possibility of intervening in utero on certain cardiac malformations with the intent to prevent secondary major alterations in structure and function is becoming a reality. Central to progress in this area is the development of instrumentation specifically designed for minimally invasive cardiac surgery in the fetus. The present review introduces a novel set of devices for interventional cardiology, based on current knowledge and prior experience, and highlights their prospective application. In meeting this objective, particular importance is assigned to the synergic contribution of diverse disciplines, both medical and nonmedical.

Key words::

• Congenital cardiac malformation
• fetal surgery
• sensorized probe
• fetal imaging

Acknowledgements

Work by the authors is supported by the Italian Ministry of Education and Research (PRIN 2007E7Y7R, F.C.; Fund CCCN2, F.C. and B.M.) and the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Pisa (Micro-SURF; A.M.)

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.