At the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy, our experts prioritize a collaborative and family-centered approach, developing tailored plans that address the needs of the unborn baby and entire family. Our therapies provide prenatal cures or the alleviation of important sequelae, and optimize delivery circumstances. We are one of the few centers in the country offering a comprehensive range of fetal, maternal and pediatric services in one location, delivering compassionate and coordinated care that leads to exceptional outcomes.

Led by Ahmet Baschat, our team has unparalleled experience in fetal diagnosis and therapy. As active participants in the North American Fetal Therapy Network, we are leaders in shaping new surgical techniques and advancing research in fetal therapy, defining best practices and supportive resources that enhance quality of care for families and clinicians alike.

Dr. Baschat was honored for his pioneering work when he received the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology Ian Donald Gold Medal in 2024, which is awarded to “an individual who has made a significant scientific contribution to the advancement of diagnostic ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology and who has changed the way ultrasound is practiced through research or innovation."

Clinical Initiatives

The center’s experts are committed to improving outcomes and managing the risks associated with fetal surgeries through several specialized initiatives.

For years, the ability to intervene in fetal conditions lagged behind the growing recognition of how these efforts affect perinatal and lifelong health. In response to this urgent need, the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy was established a decade ago — bringing together maternal-fetal medicine, pediatric surgery and neonatology to develop and refine lifesaving interventions before birth.

Today, the center stands as a national leader in providing fetal therapy, driving advances in minimally invasive surgery, precision diagnostics and multidisciplinary care. Seamless integration with neonatal and pediatric subspecialties at Johns Hopkins ensures that care extends beyond birth, optimizing long-term outcomes.

As the field of fetal therapy advances, our center is committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation, training the next generation of leaders and setting new standards in maternal-fetal care worldwide.

Complicated Monochorionic Multiples

This service manages a wide range of complications in monochorionic twin pregnancies.

For twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), use of the Solomon laser technique as a first line of treatment has achieved high rates of disease resolution and twin survival, irrespective of disease severity.

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Dr. Ahmet Baschat directs this service, which focuses on fetoscopic tracheal occlusion therapy for severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The program is renowned for its ability to achieve significant prenatal lung growth, and it has the lowest prematurity rate for this type of fetal therapy.

The integrated fetal and pediatric care model at The Johns Hopkins Hospital has resulted in an over 80% survival rate of patients with severe CDH, along with favorable long-term developmental outcomes.

Fetal Spina Bifida Closure

This treatment team focuses on minimally invasive fetoscopic myelomeningocele closure. The benefits of this technique are significant: It reduces the need for postnatal shunt insertion, leads to a high rate of ambulation in infants and mitigates the maternal risks associated with traditional open-fetal surgery.

Pregnant women can generally return to their referring clinician for vaginal delivery and retain the option for vaginal delivery in future pregnancies.

Fetal Transfusion and Biobank

The fetal transfusion and biobank team performs lifesaving transfusions, including exchange transfusions. The program addresses a variety of conditions, such as isoimmunization, rare forms of anemia, hydrops fetalis, placental tumors, complex hemoglobinopathies and twin anemia polycythemia sequence.

The team’s expertise in these areas has proven lifesaving for fetuses, allowing for planned deliveries in coordination with referring clinicians for most patients.

Research Initiatives

Center for Fetal Therapy Research

Principal Investigator: Ahmet Baschat, M.B.B.Ch., M.D.

The center has been at the forefront of research into the benefits and proven outcomes of the most advanced prenatal surgery techniques to treat a range of conditions, including CDH, spina bifida, TTTS and fetal hematologic disorders. The center’s research has also established the lifesaving benefit of serial amnioinfusion for babies with bilateral renal agenesis.

The center’s clinician-scientists have been successful with obtaining grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Fetal Health Foundation.