Connecticut Children's Fetal Care Center

We offer hope and comprehensive fetal care for the most complex fetal anomalies in high-risk pregnancies.

As one of the safest, highest-quality fetal medicine centers in the Northeast, we start with advanced imaging technology to get more detailed information and give an accurate diagnosis. With experts in fetal care, including dual board-certified pediatric surgeons, neonatologists, fetal cardiologists, neurosurgeons, and maternal fetal medicine specialists, we take a multidisciplinary approach to bring improved outcomes for families facing challenging prenatal diagnoses beyond imagination. During your first visit, we bring peace of mind with a single-day comprehensive diagnostic evaluation ending with a personalized care plan for you and your baby.

At Connecticut Children's Fetal Care Center, both locally and nationwide, we work together with your maternal fetal medicine specialist, midwife, obstetrician, or family physician considering them as an essential member of our team.

Anchor ID #conditions

Services & Treatment

At Connecticut Children’s Fetal Care Center, our team of experts is committed to bringing you and your family the comfort and confidence needed to get through your journey during and after pregnancy. We develop customized care for you and your baby that may require one or more of the following services.

Depending on your needs, the following tests or imaging may be performed:

  • Fetal Ultrasound
  • Fetal Echocardiogram
  • Fetal MRI
  • Fetal CT Scan
  • Diagnostic Fetoscopy
  • Amniocentesis
  • Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
  • Fetal Blood Sampling
  • Microarray Analysis

You may be referred to a genetic counselor as part of your diagnosis and treatment at the Fetal Care Center. Genetic Counselors are specially trained healthcare professionals who assist in obtaining detailed family histories and offer guidance regarding specific tests, birth defects, genetic disorders, and other possible inherited conditions in conjunction with Medical Geneticists.

If you’re scheduled to meet with a Genetic Counselor, consult with your family members and prepare to share your family history of any genetic conditions.

Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM), also known as perinatology, is a subspecialty of obstetrics. Obstetrics is the branch of medicine and surgery focused on childbirth and the care of pregnant women. MFM specialists receive additional years of formal training to manage the health concerns of mom and baby before, during, and after pregnancy. They are often seen as high-risk pregnancy experts who specialize in prenatal ultrasound and management of maternal complications of pregnancy and fetal anomalies.

Through our Pediatric Care Alliance with Hartford HealthCare, you’ll have access to maternal-fetal medicine specialists and obstetricians — and confidence knowing all your providers are coordinating your care. 

Your baby may have a medical condition that requires surgery before or immediately after birth. Find reassurance in the fact that our fetal and pediatric surgeons are renowned both nationally and globally for their expertise. We provide a comprehensive range of fetal surgeries for conditions that benefit from in utero intervention. While our surgeons prioritize minimally invasive procedures to minimize risks for both you and your baby, certain conditions may still require open fetal surgery.

The following surgeries and procedures are available at the Fetal Care Center:

  • ultrasound guided fetal intervention
  • fetoscopic surgery
  • open fetal surgery
  • ex-utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure
  • fetoscopic tracheal occlusion for congenital diaphragmatic hernia
  • bladder and chest shunt placement
  • fetoscopic laser ablation (LASER)
  • lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO)
  • amnioinfusion
  • amnioreduction
  • myelomeningocele repair (spina bifida)
  • fetal thoracentesis

Conditions We Treat

As a top fetal surgery center, we're experts in diagnosing and treating the full range of fetal conditions, from common to rare, including gastroschisis, omphalocele, and fetal spina bifida surgery. Here are just a few examples of the conditions we treat. 

Our team approach to treating CDH dramatically improves survival rates and reduces the need for life support following surgery.

The Fetal Care Center offers treatment options for MMC (also known as fetal spina bifida) that include repair during pregnancy or soon after birth. The decision to pursue prenatal or postnatal myelomeningocele spina bifida treatment is a very personal one that may be influenced by many factors. 

Because spinal cord damage is progressive during gestation, one option is to treat your baby by performing myelomeningocele repair in utero to help prevent further damage with the goal of giving your baby an improved quality of life. Open fetal surgery may prevent ongoing injury from occurring during the remainder of the pregnancy. Prenatal repair also significantly reduces the need for ventriculoperitoneal shunting to treat hydrocephalus associated with myelomeningocele, but there are potential risks of fetal surgery for both mother and baby. Another option is to have the myelomeningocele repaired after the baby is born. This option has the lowest maternal risks associated with it, but increases the need for ventriculoperitoneal shunting in the baby.

Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrom (TTTS) is a rare, life-threatening clinical syndrome that only occurs in identical twins or higher order multiple gestations that share a placenta. Dr. Crombleholme has been a pioneer in the treatment of TTTS using selective fetoscopic laser photocoagulation for over 25 years and has performed over 1400 fetal surgical procedures making him one of the most experienced fetal surgeons in the world.

Anchor ID #team

Dedicated Team of Specialized Experts

We are a multidisciplinary fetal care team. This means we bring experts in fetal surgery, cardiology, cardiac surgery, fetal imaging, genetics, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, surgery, and urology together to offer the best plan of care for you and your baby. Feel confident and at ease with a team of specialists right beside you. From travel coordination to post-birth, we provide support every step of the way.

fetal surgeon in OR

Meet Dr. Crombleholme

Timothy M. Crombleholme, MD, Medical Director of Fetal Care, is a world-renowned fetal surgeon with more than 35 years' experience in fetoscopic surgery, open fetal surgery, image-guided fetal intervention, and EXIT procedures. His profound knowledge in fetal care gives babies a fighting chance to live and thrive.

Anchor ID #testimonial

When everyone said no, we said yes.

Ester and Samuel searched high and low for someone to help their unborn baby diagnosed with spina bifida. Just when they were beginning to lose hope, they received a lifesaving call from world-renowned fetal surgeon, Timothy Crombleholme, MD, Director of our Fetal Care Center.

fetal care patient story
Anchor ID #form

Request An Appointment or Second Opinion

New Fetal Care Patients

Please complete the form to request an appointment or give us a call at 866.577.1284. We will contact you shortly to schedule your appointment. 

Existing Fetal Care Patients

If you've already been seen by Connecticut Children's Fetal Care Center, please call our office directly.