お腹の外から赤ちゃんに手術
Press Release from Bonn University on October 29, 2007.
(C) Dr. Inka Väth/Uni Bonn
手術を行ったボン大学病院のKohl教授と
9カ月の小さな患者Miriamちゃん
妊娠22週前に破水すると，お腹の中で赤ちゃんを保護する液体が足りなくなり，赤ちゃんの肺が臓器で締めつけられてしまうという。それが原因で，生後，窒息を起こす危険があるらしい。ところが，ドイツの病院で，妊娠20週で破水した母親が，お腹の赤ちゃんに手術を行ったおかげで無事出産していたことが明らかになった。この手術では，風船がついたペンほどの大きさの器具を母親の体の外から赤ちゃんの気管に挿入し，風船をふくらませて肺の作り出す液体を逃がさないようにした。すると，縮んでいた肺が数日間で2倍近くになり，赤ちゃんは33週目に生まれた。発育も順調とのことだ。（吉田素子）
When the bag of waters burst(1) in the 20th week of pregnancy(2), the unborn(3) child only had a very slim chance of(4) surviving birth. The high risk of(5) infection(6) was not the only risk to Miriam's life. Her lungs(7) stopped growing, and as a result she would have most probably suffocated(8) after birth. Doctors at Bonn University Clinic presumably(9) saved Miriam's life with surgery(10) in the womb(11) that stimulated(12) lung growth. This was the first time that this method has been used worldwide(13) in a case of premature rupture of the foetal membrane(14). The baby is now one year old and full of beans(15). The doctors will report on their case in the scientific journal Fetal(16) Diagnosis(17) and Therapy(18) on 29 October.
This is their fourth child, and it is the third time that Lori has had a premature rupture of the foetal membrane. However, this time it happened at an extremely(19) critical(20) time for the unborn child. A rupture before the 22nd week of pregnancy results in the child being constricted(21) due to the lack of its protective(22) liquid cushion and the organs(23) pressing on the lung. Therefore the lung is either much too small at birth or cannot enrich(24) the blood with oxygen(25). Every second baby suffocates after birth. Moreover, it is now unprotected(26) against germs(27) in the womb, and the danger of a life-threatening(28) infection is high for the child. For this reason the pregnancy is usually aborted(29) after rupture(30) at such an early stage.
But Miriam's parents did not give up on her. During the operation(31), the foetal surgeons(32) insert(33) the operating device(34), which is the size of a ballpoint pen(35), into the foetal membranes(36) via(37) a small opening(38) in the mother's stomach(39). They carefully move this foetoscope(40) assisted by a camera and ultrasonic apparatus(41) via the mouth and into the trachea(42) of the unborn baby. There a miniature(43) balloon is inflated(44), blocking the respiratory channel(45) so that the fluid which is continuously(46) produced by the prenatal(47) lung cannot drain away(48). This way the fluid pressure(49) built up stimulates(50) lung growth. Miriam's case was the first one where Professor Kohl also used the protein(51) serum albumin(52), which increases(53) the amount of(54) water collected in the lung and amplifies(55) the effect(56) of the latex(57) balloon.
(1) 破水した (2) 妊娠 (3) 生まれる前の (4) ～する可能性が低かった (5) ～の高い危険性
(6) 感染 (7) 肺 (8) 窒息する (9) おそらく (10) 手術 (11) 子宮（胎内） (12) 促進した (13) 世界的に
(14) 早期破水 (15) 元気いっぱいで (16) 胎児の (17) 診断 (18) 治療 (19) 極めて (20) 危険な
(21) 締め付けられること (22) 保護する (23) 臓器 (24) (～ A with B) AをBで豊富にする (25) 酸素
(26) 保護されていない (27) 細菌 (28) 生死にかかわる (29) 通常中絶される (30) 破水 (31) 手術
(32) 胎児手術を行う外科医 (33) 挿入する (34) 器具 (35) ボールペン (36) 胚膜 (37) ～を通して
(38) 開口部 (39) 胃 (40) 胎児鏡 (41) 超音波装置 (42) 気管 (43) 小型の (44) ふくらまされた
(45) 呼吸の通り道 (46) 断続的に (47) 出生前の (48) 排出する (49) 圧力 (50) 刺激する (51) たんぱく質
(52) 血清アルブミン (53) 増やす (54) ～の量 (55) 増大する (56) 効果 (57) ラテックス（ゴムの原料）
