Texas Children’s Fetal Center®
Quality and Outcomes
The following data represents evaluations, procedures and outcomes from the Fetal Center's inception through the end of 2025.
Patients evaluated for amniotic band syndrome
- 0 - 2025
- 45 - Total
Fetoscopic interventions for amniotic band release
- 0 - 2025
- 7 - Total
Survival rate after fetoscopic procedure
- 100%
The following data represents evaluations, procedures and outcomes from the Fetal Center's inception through December 2025.
Patients evaluated for CDH
- 22 – 2025
- 521 – Total
Number of FETO (fetal endoscopic tracheal occlusion procedures)
- 3 – 2025
- 52 – Total
Average number of newborns with CDH cared for each year in NICU
- 22
Survival to discharge for isolated CDH*
- 84%
Survival to discharge for CDH with associated anomalies
- 62%
Learn More about Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)
Learn more about FETO (fetal endoscopic tracheal occlusion procedures)
The following data represents evaluations, procedures and outcomes from the Fetal Center's inception through the end of 2025.
EXIT-to-airway
- 1 – 2025
- 45 – Total
EXIT-to-ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation)
- 0 – 2025
- 2 – Total
EXIT-to-resection of high-risk lung mass
- 0 – 2025
- 21 - Total
Number of open and catheter-based fetal cardiac interventions
- 5 – 2025
- 53 – Total
Number of fetuses undergoing chronic maternal hyperoxygenation for borderline left heart
- 0 – 2025
- 14 – Total
The following data represents evaluations, procedures and outcomes from the Fetal Center's inception through the end of 2024.
All Patients evaluated for Congenital Lung Malformation (CLM)
- 20 – 2024
- 429 – Total
Patients evaluated for high risk CLM*
- 0 – 2024
- 91 – Total
Survival to discharge for low risk CLM**
- 99%
Survival to discharge for high risk CLM
- 85%
Open fetal surgeries for CLM
- 0 – 2024
- 4 – Total
Survival to discharge for open fetal surgeries for CLM
- 75%
EXIT to resection for CLM
- 0 – 2024
- 21 – Total
Survival to discharge for EXIT to resection procedures
- 95%
*Defined as those with hydrops or CLM volume ratios ≥ 1.6
**Two deaths due to non-pulmonary-related problems
The following data represents evaluations, procedures and outcomes from the Fetal Center's inception through the end of 2024.
Patients evaluated for fetal tumors, including cervical, mediastinal and sacrococcygeal teratomas
- 0 – 2024
- 82 – Total
Patients evaluated for fetal neck masses (lymphatic malformations)
- 0 – 2024
- 68 – Total
EXIT-to-airway procedures performed to treat patients with cervical tumors or epignathic tumors, and lymphatic malformations
- 0 – 2024
- 30 – Total
The following data represents procedures and outcomes from the Fetal Center's inception through December 2024.
Our center has one of the largest number of patients enrolled in a clinical trial for FETO balloon placement in left, right and bilateral CDH with some of the best outcomes in the US.
| Fetal endotracheal occlusion cases | lsolated (n=39)* | Non-Isolated (n=11) |
|---|---|---|
| Gestational age at delivery Median [range] Mean |
35.95 (30.7 - 40.1] 35.8 ± 2.1 |
36.1 [32.9 - 38.7] 35.9 ± 1.6 |
| ECMO | 13/38 (34%) | 6/9 (67%)** |
| Survival to discharge | 28/38 (74%) | 5/11 (45%) |
| Length of stay in NICU (days) Median (range) Mean |
81 (30 - 293) 109 ± 70.4 |
146 (56 - 235) 146 ± 57 |
| Discharged home on oxygen | 13/28(46%) | 5/ 5 (100%) |
Data are expressed as median [minimum maximum range], mean ± standard deviation, or as numerator/denominator (percentage).
* 1 IUFD at 33.7 weeks gestation
** 4 neonatal deaths <24 hours of life
The following data represents evaluations, procedures and outcomes from the Fetal Center's inception through the end of 2025.
Evaluations for gastroschisis
- 15 – 2025
- 34 – Total
Gastroschisis procedures
- 3 – 2025
- 4 – Total
The following data represents evaluations, procedures and outcomes from the Fetal Center's inception through the end of 2025.
Patients evaluated for LUTO
- 21 – 2025
- 259 – Total
Fetal bladder shunts
- 7 – 2025
- 105 – Total
The following data represents evaluations, procedures and outcomes from December 2011 through the end of December 2025.
Patients evaluated for NTD
49 – 2025
766 – Total
Fetal NTD Repair
- Open fetal procedures
- 0 – 2025
- 45 – Total
- Fetoscopic procedures
- 24 – 2025
- 215 – Total
Fetal NTD repair outcomes
| Fetal myelomeningocele (MMC) repair cases | All fetoscopic coses (n=215) | MOMS trial (n=78) |
|---|---|---|
| Geshltional ege at delivery Median (range) Mean | 37 [25.1- 40.9] 36 ± 3.4 | 34.1 ± 3.1 |
| Preterm premature rupture of membraoos <37 weeks gestation | 74/ 211 (35%) | 35/78 (45%) |
| Preterm Delivery <37 weeks gostetion <30 weeks gestation | 99/204 (49%) 12/ 204 (6%) | 62/78(79%) 10/78 (13%) |
| Vaginal delivery | 96/204 (47%) | 0/78 (0%) |
| Treatment for hydrocephalus at 12 months or less | 67/175 (37%) ** | 31/78 (40%) |
*Excludes 5 IUFDs
**Only includes patients who have reached 12 months of oge
Walking Status at 30 months for fetoscopic repair
Below you will find a detailed report for walking status for our fetoscopic cases. We believe that the details regarding walking status as reported here are important to provide to families. Not every center defines walking independently in the same manner. Here at Texas Children's Fetal Center we take a conservative approach when classifying walking status. We have looked at every child who has had a fetoscopic repair to determine their primary method of daily ambulation at 30 months or above. Many children are able to take a few steps independently, but when we classify a child as walking independently, that reflects their primary method of ambulation in their daily life. 85% of our fetoscopic patients are able to walk, whether it be independently, with orthotics and/or devices like a walker.
| TCH Fetoscopic results - 30 Months and older | MOMs trial results - 30 Months and older | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walking Status | Count | Percentage | Walking Status | Count | Percentage |
| Walking – any form | 60 | 87% | Walking – any form | 44 | 71% |
| Walking – independent of braces or walker | 17 | 25% | Walking – independent of braces or walker | 26 | 42% |
| Walking – with orthotics | 24 | 25% | Walking – with orthotics or devices | 18 | 29% |
| Walking – with devices | 19 | 28% | |||
| None – wheelchair dependent | 9 | 13% | None – wheelchair dependent | 18 | 29% |
| Total # of patients with available information | 69 | Total # of patients with available information | 62 | ||
*Adzick, S., Thom, E., Spong, C., Brock, J., Burrows, P., Johnson, M.,… Farmer, D. (2011). A randomized trial of prenatal versus postnatal repair of myelomeningocele. New England Journal of Medicine, 364, 993-1004.
Belfort, M., Whitehead, W., Shamshirsaz, A., Bateni, Z., Olutoye, O. O., Olutoye, O.A., …Cass, D. (2017). Fetoscopic open neural tube defect repair: Development and refinement of a two-port, carbon dioxide insufflation technique. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 4, 734-743.
The following data represents evaluations, procedures and outcomes from the Fetal Center's inception through the end of 2024.
Patients evaluated for omphalocele
- 8 – 2024
- 165 – Total
Survival for isolated omphalocele in live-born infants
- 94%
The following data represents evaluations, procedures and outcomes from the Fetal Center's inception through the end of 2025.
Open procedures
- 0 – 2025
- 54 – Total
Cardiac teratoma
- 0 – 2024
- 1 – Total
Lung lesions and teratomas
- 0 – 2024
- 8 – Total
Neural tube defects
- 0 – 2024
- 45 – Total
Learn more about Open Fetal Surgery for SCT & Vascular Tumors
Overall TTTS survival
- 90.1% survival of at least one twin
- 67.9% survival of both twins
Survival per Quintero stage
| Stage | Two Survivors | One Survivor | No Survivors |
| I | 63 (82.9%) | 11 (14.5%) | 2 (2.6%) |
| II | 107 (75.4%) | 21 (14.8%) | 13 (9.2%) |
| III | 145 (59.4%) | 69 (28.3%) | 29 (11.9%) |
| IV | 15 (57.7%) | 7 (26.9%) | 4 (15.4%) |
Survival by gestational age at procedure
| Gestational age | Two Survivors | One Survivor | No Survivors |
| 16‐18 weeks | 107 (59.4%) | 46 (25.6%) | 25 (13.9%) |
| 19‐21 weeks | 132 (72.5%) | 32 (17.6%) | 18 (9.9%) |
| 22‐24 weeks | 65 (67.7%) | 26 (27.1%) | 5 (5.2%) |
| 25‐27 weeks | 26 (86.7%) | 4 (13.3%) | 0 (0%) |
Learn more about Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS)
*This data excludes Triplets, TAPS, etc. Only includes true TTTS mo/di twins with and without sFGR
57 cases excluded: no 30 day outcomes available to us
Fetal Cardiology Program
Learn more about volumes and outcomes for those patients treated by the Fetal Cardiology program.
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