Fetal Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

The Stanford Children’s Health Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program provides comprehensive evaluation and management of fetal congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Our program combines expertise from specialists in maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology, pediatric radiology, pediatric surgery and perinatal genetics. As a nationally recognized extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) center, we evaluate lesion size and predict neonatal outcomes using the fetus’s lung-to-head ratio (LHR, measured by ultrasound) and its total lung volumes (TLV) and percent liver herniation (measured by MRI). Our program is also participating in ongoing research projects involving standardization of imaging through the North American Fetal Therapy Network (NAFTNet) study.