In utero correction of pulmonary hypoplasia in congenital diaphragmatic hernia: an animal model

ABSTRACT

A model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia was created in fetal rabbits by excising a section of diaphragm at 25 days gestation. Animals were sacrificed at 27 and 30 days gastation, then morphological and histological examinations were made for the feti and the lungs. There was a decrease in the lung growth and alveolar development. The changes were most marked in the homo-lateral lungs, but changes were also seen in the contralateral lungs as in human patients with diaphragmatic hernia. In a group of fetal animals with surgically created diaphragmatic hernia, the trachea was occluded by ligation at 27 days and the lungs were examined at 30 days. In the treated group, there was alveolar hyperplasia, with lung per body weight percentage increasing to compensate the change caused by the diaphragmatic hernia. These results indicate that it is possible to reverse the pulmonary hypoplasia in utero. This would improve survival and allow elective and easier repair of the diaphragmatic hernia after birth