Fetal surgery.

While most prenatally diagnosed malformations are best managed by appropriate medical and surgical therapy after birth, a few may require or benefit from correction before birth. Extensive experimental work in animals and innovative technologic developments have made fetal surgery a viable approach to perinatal care. Managing preterm labor continues to be a vexing problem. At present, only a few life-threatening malformations have been successfully corrected. Additional research into the abnormal function of some malformations, the development of less interventional techniques, and fetal stem cell transplantation should lead to successful treatment of more fetal disorders.