Screenshot from a video clip shows doctors is operating for pregnant woman. (Screenshot from BTV)
(ECNS) -- A 31-week-old fetus suffering malformations was partially taken out of its mother's uterus by C-section and then carefully put back after undergoing rare surgery.
The pregnant woman, surnamed Zhang, is 32 years old and expects to give birth to the baby on July 3 in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province.
A prenatal check in April showed the fetus had a diaphragmatic hernia, a defect or hole in the diaphragm that allows the abdominal contents to move into the chest cavity.
Zhang planned for the baby to be treated after birth. But a follow-up check on May 4 showed excessive amniotic fluid affecting the woman's lung and breathing, with the potential to cause the uterus to rupture. The baby was also found to be suffering from duodenal atresia at the Tongji Hospital in Wuhan.
Doctor Zeng Wanjiang said the baby's lower body remained in the uterine cavity during the May 9 operation in order to keep it warm.
The most risky part was providing artificial amniotic fluid for the woman, who lost it during the surgery, without causing separation of the placenta.
It was in the best interests of the fetus for it to be returned to the womb to wait for its due date, according to the doctor.
Currently, there are no updates regarding the condition of the mother and her baby.
