Attitudes of maternal-fetal specialists concerning maternal-fetal surgery

OBJECTIVE: We examined the attitudes of members of the Society for Maternal -Fetal Medicine regarding the clinical, scientific, ethical, and policy iss ues in maternal-fetal surgery. STUDY DESIGN: A 43-question survey was distributed to all members of the So ciety for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Two mailings and one electronic mail rem inder were sent, each with instructions to submit the survey either via US mail or the Internet. The survey included questions in six categories: phys ician demographic data, experience with maternal-fetal surgery, views on in novative therapies, scientific validation of currently used and proposed pr ocedures, ethical issues, and future directions in public policy. RESULTS: Of the 1639 United States members sent questionnaires, 943 replied (response rate = 59%). Forty-seven percent had referred patients for open fetal surgery for nonlethal conditions, and 69% believed physicians were ob ligated to inform patients of this option. Seventy-eight percent believed t hat innovative therapies should be performed only under institutional revie w board-approved protocols. Although the majority of respondents believed t hat certain proposed benefits of open fetal surgery for myelomeningocele co uld offset the risks, the majority (56%) also indicated that the procedure has not been validated. Fifty-seven percent believed that a moratorium shou ld be imposed on open fetal surgery for nonlethal conditions, such as myelo meningocele, until a multicenter-controlled clinical trial is completed. CONCLUSIONS: The use of maternal-fetal surgery for nonlethal conditions is highly controversial. The majority of maternal-fetal specialists we surveye d support further research before such procedures are integrated into clini cal practice.