Pilot Trial of Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) in Severe Left Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)

Despite advances in prenatal diagnosis and postnatal therapies, including ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation), inhaled nitric oxide therapy, and ventilator strategies that minimize ventilator-induced lung injury, morbidity and mortality rates for babies with severe CDH remain high. The rationale for fetal therapy in severe CDH is to promote adequate lung growth for neonatal survival. Prenatal tracheal occlusion obstructs the normal egress of lung fluid during pulmonary development leading to increased lung tissue stretch, increased cell proliferation, and accelerated lung growth. The investigator's goal with this pilot study is to study the feasibility of implementing Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) therapy in the most severe group of fetuses with left CDH (LHR O/E < 25%).

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion Surgery

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 10
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Katie Archbold, BA; Phone Number: 415-476-0445; Email: fetus@ucsf.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • San Francisco, California, United States, 94158
      • Recruiting
      • University of California San Francisco Fetal Treatment Center
      • Contact: Janice Scudmore, NP; Phone Number: 415-476-0445; Email: fetus@ucsf.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women age 18 years and older
• Singleton pregnancy
• Normal fetal karyotype with confirmation by culture results. Results by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) will be acceptable if the patient is > 26 weeks
• Isolated Left CDH with liver up
• Gestation age at enrollment prior to 29 wks plus 6 days
• SEVERE pulmonary hypoplasia with US LHR O/E < 25% (measured at 180 to 295 weeks) at the time of surgery
• Gestational age at FETO procedure 27 weeks 0 days to 29 weeks 6 days as determined by clinical information (LMP) and evaluation of first ultrasound
• Family meets psychosocial criteria
• Pre-authorization from third-party payor for fetal intervention OR the ability to self-pay for study treatment. For all patients without insurance or the means to pay for the procedure, an attempt will be made to obtain Medicaid. Insurers that have denied payment have noted that this remains an experimental procedure. As this is a feasibility study and not being offered as either standard of care or as a prospective randomized control trial to determine efficacy, the investigators do not feel that there is a breach of ethical standards.
• Informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Failure to meet all inclusion criteria
• Patient < 18 years of age
• Multi-fetal pregnancy
• Rubber latex allergy
• Preterm labor, cervix shortened (< 15 mm at enrollment or within 24 hours of FETO balloon insertion procedure) or uterine anomaly strongly predisposing to preterm labor, placenta previa
• Family does not meet psychosocial criteria. Reasons for exclusion include: insufficient social support, inability to understand requirements of the study, inability to reside in or near San Francisco.
• Right sided CDH or bilateral CDH, isolated left sided with LHR O/E < 25% (measured at 180 to 295 weeks) as determined by ultrasound
• Additional fetal anomaly by ultrasound, MRI, or echocardiogram at the fetal treatment center. Exclude chromosomal abnormalities, associated anomalies recognized to alter survival prognosis (ie. CDH and congenital heart disease) or presence of an underlying genetic syndrome (ie. Fryns). No cases will be removed post hoc if abnormalities are discovered in the course of post-operative monitoring
• Maternal contraindication to fetoscopic surgery or severe maternal medical condition in pregnancy
• History of incompetent cervix with or without cerclage
• Placental abnormalities (previa, abruption, accrete) known at time of enrollment
• Maternal-fetal Rh isoimmunization, Kell sensitization or neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia affecting the current pregnancy
• Maternal HIV, Hepatitis-B, Hepatitis-C status positive because of the increased risk of transmission to the fetus during maternal-fetal surgery. If the patient's HIV or Hepatitis status is unknown, the patient must be tested and found to have negative results before enrollment
• Uterine anomaly such as large or multiple fibroids or mullerian duct abnormality
• There is no safe or technically feasible fetoscopic approach to balloon placement
• Participation in another intervention study that influences maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality or participation in this trial in a previous pregnancy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Device - FETO; Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) surgery and removal of balloon using the BALT GOLDBAL2 balloon and BALTACCIBDPE100 catheter.	Device: Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion Surgery; Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) surgery will be completed at 27 weeks 0 days - 29 weeks 6 days gestation. Fetoscopic removal of the balloon occlusion will be performed at 34 weeks 0 days to 34 weeks 6 days gestation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of effective placements of balloon to occlude trachea via fetoscopy	Number of effective placements of balloon to occlude trachea via fetoscopy by performing Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) in fetuses with severe left congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), as defined by lung to head ratio (LHR) Observed/Expected < 25%	Between 27 and 29 weeks gestation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Rate of fetal lung growth after FETO as measured by lung volume.	Fetal lung growth as measured by lung volume.	Between 27 and 34 weeks gestation
Rate of fetal lung growth after FETO as measured by Lung to head circumference ratio	Fetal lung growth as measured by Lung to head circumference ratio (LHR) measurements.	Between 27 and 34 weeks gestation
Determine survival rate of FETO patients	Survival at 6 months after birth.	6 months after birth

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hanmin Lee
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Hanmin Lee, MD, University of California, San Francisco

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Harrison MR, Keller RL, Hawgood SB, Kitterman JA, Sandberg PL, Farmer DL, Lee H, Filly RA, Farrell JA, Albanese CT. A randomized trial of fetal endoscopic tracheal occlusion for severe fetal congenital diaphragmatic hernia. N Engl J Med. 2003 Nov 13;349(20):1916-24. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa035005.
• Jani JC, Nicolaides KH, Gratacos E, Valencia CM, Done E, Martinez JM, Gucciardo L, Cruz R, Deprest JA. Severe diaphragmatic hernia treated by fetal endoscopic tracheal occlusion. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Sep;34(3):304-10. doi: 10.1002/uog.6450.
• Harrison MR, Adzick NS, Flake AW, VanderWall KJ, Bealer JF, Howell LJ, Farrell JA, Filly RA, Rosen MA, Sola A, Goldberg JD. Correction of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in utero VIII: Response of the hypoplastic lung to tracheal occlusion. J Pediatr Surg. 1996 Oct;31(10):1339-48. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3468(96)90824-6.
• Jani JC, Nicolaides KH, Gratacos E, Vandecruys H, Deprest JA; FETO Task Group. Fetal lung-to-head ratio in the prediction of survival in severe left-sided diaphragmatic hernia treated by fetal endoscopic tracheal occlusion (FETO). Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Dec;195(6):1646-50. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2006.04.004. Epub 2006 Jun 12.
• Bealer JF, Skarsgard ED, Hedrick MH, Meuli M, VanderWall KJ, Flake AW, Adzick NS, Harrison MR. The 'PLUG' odyssey: adventures in experimental fetal tracheal occlusion. J Pediatr Surg. 1995 Feb;30(2):361-4; discussion 364-5. doi: 10.1016/0022-3468(95)90590-1.
• Harrison MR, Adzick NS, Flake AW, Jennings RW, Estes JM, MacGillivray TE, Chueh JT, Goldberg JD, Filly RA, Goldstein RB, et al. Correction of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in utero: VI. Hard-earned lessons. J Pediatr Surg. 1993 Oct;28(10):1411-7; discussion 1417-8. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3468(05)80338-0.
• Adzick NS, Harrison MR, Glick PL, Villa RL, Finkbeiner W. Experimental pulmonary hypoplasia and oligohydramnios: relative contributions of lung fluid and fetal breathing movements. J Pediatr Surg. 1984 Dec;19(6):658-65. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3468(84)80349-8.
• Deprest J, De Coppi P. Antenatal management of isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia today and tomorrow: ongoing collaborative research and development. Journal of Pediatric Surgery Lecture. J Pediatr Surg. 2012 Feb;47(2):282-90. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2011.11.020.

Helpful Links

• UCSF Fetal Treatment Center website

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 2, 2020
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 12, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 5, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): October 12, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 28, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 26, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Internal Hernia; Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Congenital Abnormalities; Hernia; Hernia, Diaphragmatic; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital
• Other Study ID Numbers: 16-20723

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes