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Cutting-edge medical advancements are saving and transforming lives, including minimally invasive procedures in the smallest patients: newborns and infants. 

A team at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital in Connecticut performed a minimally invasive procedure on a 3-day-old baby who had been diagnosed with a lymphatic malformation in utero. A procedure called sclerotherapy was used to shrink a lemon-sized cyst in the newborn, who is now doing well. 

The lymphatic malformation — a rare, nonmalignant, congenital condition — was identified during a prenatal ultrasound during the mother’s third trimester. The mother had follow-up appointments with clinicians, pediatric surgeons and other team members at YNHCH’s Fetal Care Center and neonatal intensive care unit. After ruling out other “anatomical abnormalities” that could affect the newborn’s head and neck region and compromise breathing, the mother was monitored through the rest of her pregnancy and delivered a healthy baby girl. 

Stacey Bass, M.D., medical director of pediatric interventional radiology at YNHCH, and her team performed sclerotherapy when the baby was 3 days old, due to concerns about how the cyst might affect the baby’s development and breathing. The procedure involved accessing the cyst with a needle and placing a catheter, which instilled medicine into the cyst to help stop it from accumulating fluid and then eventually shrivel. The catheter was removed after two days, and the baby went home. 

The young patient is doing well and reaching her developmental milestones. She has a tiny scar from the procedure, which will eventually fade. Her mother praised the YNHCH team that provided care throughout this medical journey. “They connected me to the experts, and the experience was very reassuring despite all the uncertainty. I was impressed by the evidence-based approach, collaborative conversations, and empathy.”