Unborn Baby ‘Blows Bubble’, Saved By Surgery

Little Lyena who survived an endoscopic surgery while in the womb of her mother, is nothing less than a miracle baby. When her mother Tammy Gonzalez was getting a routine ultrasound, she and her doctors noticed something unusual. During the ultrasound, it seemed like the baby was blowing a bubble. Tammy went a bit panicky about this. She wondered if there was anything wrong with her or her baby.

As the doctors examined further, it turned out that it was actually a mass called ‘teratoma’ – a rare and fatal tumor consisting of a mixture of tissues affecting about 1 out of every 100,000 births.

This was when the doctors advised Tammy to terminate her pregnancy to avoid a potential miscarriage. However, Tammy remained defiant. She adamantly asked the doctors to figure out a way to save the baby. The doctors suggested she could adopt an ‘endoscopic surgery’ that had never been performed. Seeing this as the last resort, Tammy said, “I want to do this” and “Let’s do this.” After two weeks, Dr. Ruben Quintero performed the surgery for the first time.

Tammy stayed awake throughout the surgery. The procedure involved placing a camera into Tammy’s womb and using a laser to cut successfully the tumor from the soft palette of Tammy’s baby whom she named Leyna meaning ‘little angel’.

Leyna is alive and kicking. She still carries the scar on the roof of her mouth. But she is living a normal life.

Tammy, the resilient mother, stayed awake during the entire procedure. For the procedure, they placed a camera into Tammy’s womb, and successfully cut the tumor, using a laser, from the soft palette of Tammy’s soon-to-be daughter, Leyna. Leyna, which means “little angel” is now alive and well, thanks to this experimental procedure. Tammy says, “She’s perfectly fine. She talks; she drinks. She is my little miracle child,” Tammy says.

It’s incredible how faith can do wonders in one’s life. Endoscopy in pregnant women is rare, that too to remove a tumor from the fetus and to have it survive it all is unbelievable.

As for Tammy, she has proven herself as a courageous mom with a daughter full of gratitude.

Few Facts About Endoscopy

• An endoscopic surgery involves ‘looking inside’ the body for medical reasons by the means of an endoscope. Endoscopes are inserted directly into an organ and are used to study the interior of a hollow organ or body cavity. The surgery usually involves an incision of 3-mm. It is relatively painless and disappears few weeks after surgery.

• The surgery may have the patient anaesthetised or fully conscious. General anesthesia for complete sedation is administered in very special circumstances, for instance, in babies or very young children whereby complex procedures might be involved.

• Endoscopy is avoided in pregnant women because of the procedure and the medication involved. Doctors usually prefer postponing an endoscopy until the second trimester if they can. Endoscopy during the first trimester may lead to teratogenesis (prenatal toxicity leading to birth defects or disfunction).

• Radiation exposure in a fetus is yet another major concern while using endoscopy as it could interfere with embryogenesis or cause carcinogenesis (formation of cancer). It is especially so with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), i.e. when the patient suffers from biliary pancreatitis or symptomatic choledocholithiasis.

• The typically used sedative during endoscopy is benzodiazepine – a pregnancy category D drug as classified by USDA – unless you are only on propofol. Some believe that there is a strong connection between the use of diazepam and cleft lip in the fetus. Midazolam is, therefore, more preferred agent as it hasn’t been found associated with congenital anomalies.

• Some obstetricians may recommend monitoring fetal heart rate or uterine contractions during anesthesia and endoscopy. It is wise to ask your obstetrician for a pre-endoscopy assessment and safety measures.

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