Fetal surgery: a brief review.

Fetal therapy is a logical extension of fetal diagnosis. Fetal surgery has been performed in humans for the past 10 years. During this time, technical obstacles have been overcome and the natural history of many fetal disorders has been defined. A select group of disorders amenable to potential improvement by fetal treatment has been identified including fetal urinary tract obstruction, fetal diaphragmatic hernia, fetal congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation and fetal sacrococcygeal teratoma. The fetal surgical experience with each of these lesions is reviewed and the maternal risk of fetal surgery is discussed.