A groundbreaking surgery at the Fetal Care Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is giving children like Wesley a brighter future, thanks to the expertise of Dr. Kathy Bligard, Associate Director of the Center.
Wesley was the first patient at the Center to undergo a fetoscopic spina bifida repair, a minimally invasive procedure offered at only a handful of hospitals nationwide—and the only one in the Midwest.
“If we can do that while the baby is inside the uterus, we can actually improve outcomes,” said Dr. Bligard. “We can decrease the rates of hydrocephalus by 50 percent and double the chance a baby will walk independently.”
Because of this surgery, Wesley is now defying the odds, and his family credits Dr. Bligard and the team for making life-changing care accessible close to home.