The USFetus Consortium carries out clinical trials in fetal therapy at two institutions: University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Southern California, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. The physicians involved in the partnership have extensive experience in fetal therapy and are leaders in the development of new technologies and protocols for the management and treatment of a full spectrum of fetal anomalies.
Fetal therapy is an emerging field of maternal-fetal medicine. Research is a vital component in advancing technology and in improving procedures and treatment. By forming this consortium, the USFetus team will have access to a greater amount of data and will be able to work together to find the answers to pressing clinical questions, expediting findings that will help improve outcomes for the thousands of fetuses affected each year by these conditions.
Consortium physicians use the same criteria to determine whether a patient is a candidate for surgery and they also perform the procedures using the same surgical techniques. Eftichia V. Kontopoulos, M.D., and Ramen Chmait, M.D., both trained under Ruben Quintero, M.D., a pioneer in the field, and have performed hundreds of fetal surgeries each.
This partnership presents patients with options for treatment on the East and West coasts of the country, potentially cutting down on travel time and related expenses. All hospitals involved boast excellent resources in neonatology and all pediatric subspecialties. |
