ABSTRACT
Pediatric surgeons are often called to counsel parents once a
surgical abnormality is diagnosed on a prenatal scan. The
referral base for a pediatric surgeon now includes the
perinatal period. Expertise in surgical correction of con-
genital malformations may favorably influence the perinatal
management of prenatally diagnosed anomalies by changing
the site of delivery for immediate postnatal treatment,
altering the mode of delivery to prevent obstructed labor or
hemorrhage, early delivery to prevent ongoing fetal organ
damage, or treatment in utero to prevent, minimize or reverse
fetal organ injury as a result of a structural defect.1,2
Crombleholme et al.3 have confirmed the favorable impact
of prenatal surgical consultation in influencing the site of
delivery in 37% of cases, changing the mode of delivery by
6.8%, reversing the decision to terminate a pregnancy by
3.6%, and influencing the early delivery of babies by 4.5%.
