Image-guided intrauterine minimally invasive fetal diagnosis and therapy.

We aim to develop low-risk techniques for diagnosis, treatment and therapy of a range of debilitating abnormalities of the fetus during pregnancy. Although interventional therapy for the unborn child is already a reality, the procedures have high risk and poor outcomes due to inadequate instrumentation and imaging. By extending state-of-the-art imaging technologies, instrumentation and guidance, we will build instruments and imaging techniques that provide clearer visualisation of critical structures and their relationship to the surrounding anatomy of the fetus at both microscopic and macroscopic scales while providing the surgeon with the means to safely treat the fetus. This will greatly reduce the risks associated with procedures and will extend the range of possible interventions. An additional shorter term impact is expected in minimally invasive neonatal surgical interventions where instrumentation for early interventional surgery is less developed than that of adult laparoscopic approaches. The proposed platform with miniaturized instruments and imaging probes will facilitate significant impact in this field. Early and continuing consideration of the ethical aspects of the novel technical capability will be made through advice from a bioethicist and by engaging with patient groups. This will ensure a smooth translation for the instrumentation and software into the clinic.

Keywords:Fetal surgery, Robot assisted surgery, Flexible instruments, Intra-uterine interventions, Minimally invasive surgical intervention

Disciplines:Metallurgical engineering