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Prenatal Diagnosis and Treatment

Our Prenatal Diagnosis and Treatment Program provides services for pregnant women and their families when pregnancy is complicated by a known or suspected problem in the developing baby. We join with experts from the UW Maternal & Infant Care Clinic to provide your family with complete services in one place.

We diagnose disorders in developing babies and provide counseling about these conditions. The conditions can be passed from parent to child in genes (genetic), or can be other kinds of disorders involving how your baby's body is forming or working.

We also connect you with specialists who can provide treatment for the baby's condition after birth. This ensures that you and your child receive continuous, well-coordinated treatment throughout your pregnancy and afterward. We work closely with many of Seattle Children's clinics and departments, including the Heart Center, the Craniofacial Center, General and Thoracic Surgery, Genetics, Orthopedics, Neurodevelopmental, Neurosurgery, Neonatology, Urology, and Social Work, to provide care that is best-suited to your unique situation.

Meet the Prenatal Diagnosis and Treatment care team.

Conditions we care for

We see many conditions that are present before birth, including:

• Congenital heart disease

  These conditions, which are present at birth, include double outlet right ventricle, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, tetralogy of Fallot, truncus arteriosus and ventricular septal heart defect.

• Cleft lip and palate

  Cleft lip and palate are conditions where the upper lip and the roof of the mouth (palate) do not form right, leaving a gap in the lip or palate. Children's Plastic Surgery Clinic repairs cleft lip and soft palate problems early in life. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery provides later repairs. These repairs include bone grafting for cleft upper jaw and correction of jaw size deformities.

• Spina bifida (PDF) and other neural tube defects

  Spina bifida is a neural tube defect. The neural tube is located along the back of an unborn baby. It eventually develops into the baby's brain and spinal cord. Spina bifida occurs when the neural tube fails to close. There are many neural tube defects, and they vary greatly in their severity. Some, such as Spina bifida occulta, cause few if any problems. The most severe form, meningomyelocele, often causes loss of muscle use (paralysis) in the leg, bowel and bladder, along with learning disabilities.

• Brain malformations

  Many problems can affect how the blood vessels in a child's brain form, but these conditions are rare. The most common include aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations.

• Skeletal abnormalities

  Skeletal abnormalities are problems with the way a child's skeleton forms, such as clubfoot, dwarfism and missing bones.

• Chromosomal conditions

  Chromosomes are the part of cells that carry information passed from parent to child (genetic information). Abnormalities in their number or structure can cause health problems. For example, Down syndrome is a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops, and often leads to mental retardation.

• Abdominal wall defects

  Abdominal wall defects occur when the baby's abdomen, or belly, doesn't fully form as the child develops during pregnancy. As a result, the child's intestines can form outside of the abdomen. There are several types of abdominal wall defects. An omphalocele occurs at the spot where the umbilical cord comes out of a baby's belly. Gastroschisis is when a baby's intestines stick out of the body through a hole in one side of the umbilical cord.

• Lung lesions

  Congenital lung lesions are malformations in the lungs that are present at birth. There are many types of these lung lesions. Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM), for example, is a piece of tissue that often replaces one part of the lung but that doesn't work like normal lung tissue.

• Diaphragmatic hernia

  A diaphragmatic hernia is a hole in the thin muscle called the diaphragm that separates the chest from the belly (abdomen). Organs that should be in the abdomen can slip through the hole into your baby's chest. These organs take up space that should be available for your baby's lungs to grow.

• Intestinal atresia

  Intestinal atresia occurs when the baby's intestines do not form properly during pregnancy. Intestines are usually open tubes. In intestinal atresia, the intestines are narrowed or blocked, or portions are missing.

• Urologic abnormalities

  Urologic abnormalities are problems in the baby's developing urogenital system that occur during pregnancy. These include structural problems in the organs that process urine, including the bladder.

Services we offer

• High-risk obstetrical ultrasound

  An ultrasound is an exam that uses sound waves to view and make pictures of parts of the body. Our program provides ultrasounds of developing babies during high-risk pregnancies.

• Fetal echocardiogram

  A fetal echocardiogram is a specialized ultrasound that uses sound waves to view and make pictures of a developing baby's heart during pregnancy.

• Fetal genetic tests and amniocentesis

  Some tests can be done before birth to help determine whether a developing child may have genetic disorders or birth defects. In amniocentesis, healthcare providers take a small amount of fluid from the sac surrounding the developing baby and test it for signs of genetic disorders.

• Genetic counseling

  A genetic consultation helps answer questions about your health, your developing baby's health or your family's health. During a consultation, you will meet with a genetics counselor to discuss many topics, including whether a health condition is passed from parent to child (genetic), why it happens, whether it can happen again and where to go for help.

• Pediatric surgical and medical consultation

  Our specialists can talk with you and your family during your pregnancy about surgery and other treatment that may be needed after your child is born.

• Fetal-to-neonatal continuity-of-care coordination

  Our program links you to experts at Children's and the UW Medical Center who will care for you during your pregnancy and for your child after birth.

Seattle Children's provides health care for the special needs of children regardless of race, sex, creed, ethnicity or disability. Financial assistance for medically necessary services is based on family income and hospital resources and is provided to children under age 21 whose primary residence is Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.