{"id":241141,"date":"2021-03-07T11:34:37","date_gmt":"2021-03-07T17:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=241141"},"modified":"2021-03-04T21:48:06","modified_gmt":"2021-03-05T03:48:06","slug":"doctors-detailed-prenatal-heart-mri-save-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/doctors-detailed-prenatal-heart-mri-save-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctors use detailed prenatal heart MRI to help save little Leo’s life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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While much ado is often made about the necessity of abortion in cases of a prenatal disability diagnosis, one British baby’s story proves that prenatal technology should help us prepare to care for these children rather than propel us toward abortion.<\/p>\n

Expectant mother Laura Teale learned at her 20-week anatomy scan that something was wrong with her preborn son Leo’s heart. Teale was referred to specialists at Royal Brompton Hospital in London, who did further testing that confirmed<\/a> a diagnosis of Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage (TAPVD), a congenital heart disease in which veins that “carry oxygenated blood back from the lungs don\u2019t connect to the heart in the normal way,” according to London News Online. Babies with TAPVD may “need urgent surgery to redirect veins from their lungs to their heart soon after they are born,” according to the report, and ultrasound pictures alone are not enough to predict who will need surgery\u00a0because<\/a>\u00a0“[i]t can be hard to see heart defects in detail on conventional scans because the fetal heart is tiny, beats quickly, and the baby moves in the womb, blurring the image.”<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0New MRI scan shows amazing view of 20-week preborn child<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ultimately, Teale and her baby were referred to specialists at\u00a0Evelina London Children\u2019s Hospital, the only center in the world that uses the type of specialized MRI technology that helped save Leo’s life. The 3D MRI technology works by piecing together<\/a>\u00a0hundreds of MRI photos from different angles. The technology, according<\/a> to Dr. David Lloyd of Evelina London Hospital \u2014 one of Leo’s team along with Dr. Laura Vazquez-Garcia \u2014 \u201callow[s] our teams to see the baby\u2019s heart, lungs, and blood vessels in more detail before they are born.”<\/p>\n