Fetal anemia is a serious complication in pregnancy, and is associated with perinatal mortality and morbidity. One of the major advances in the management of fetal anemia was the introduction of... Show moreFetal anemia is a serious complication in pregnancy, and is associated with perinatal mortality and morbidity. One of the major advances in the management of fetal anemia was the introduction of the intrauterine blood transfusion (IUT). This thesis presents several studies on IUT for fetal anemia. We described current indications and complications of IUT, we analyzed contributing factors for adverse perinatal outcome and we showed learning curves of for this procedure. Furthermore, we report the long-term outcome after IUT in a large cohort of children (the LOTUS study). The vast majority (over 95%) of children treated with IUT for severe alloimmune anemia have a normal neurodevelopmental outcome, confirming the success of this antenatal treatment. From the studies described in this thesis, we conclude that after more than 20 years of improved knowledge and skills, IUT is to be considered a safe and successful method to treat severe fetal anemia for different causes. Show less
