The Pediatric Surgeon’s Role in Prenatal Counseling

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of surgical disease for which the pediatric surgeon may be called upon to provide prenatal counseling to parents. Many surgical diseases are detected prenatally and benefit from pediatric surgical consultation. Moreover, there are increasing numbers of fetal interventions that can be performed for certain diseases in select cases. For example, investigation of fetal tracheal occlusion for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (TOTAL trial) is underway, and therapy for congenital bilateral renal agenesis (RAFT trial) is in the planning phase. For these reasons, many pediatric surgical diseases should be referred to a fetal center. Prenatal diagnosis of surgical disease will continue to increase, and the pediatric surgeon will have an important role in prenatal counseling and management. Pediatric surgeons should have a working knowledge of these diseases and know which ones will benefit from a referral to a fetal center.