Womb balloon may boost lung growth in severe birth defect
NCT ID NCT02530073
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This trial tests a procedure called FETO, where a small balloon is placed in the windpipe of a fetus with severe left congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The balloon blocks the airway temporarily, which may help the lungs grow larger before birth. The study includes pregnant women carrying a fetus with severe CDH and aims to see if the procedure is safe and improves survival after delivery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Fetoscopic Endoluminal Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) balloon device
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this procedure could improve survival for babies with severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia by allowing their lungs to grow before birth.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 15 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The procedure carries risks for both mother and fetus, including preterm labor or complications from the balloon placement.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 15 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2015
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Pregnant women age 18 years and older, who are able to consent * Singleton pregnancy Fetal * Normal Karyotype * Fetal Diagnosis of Isolated Left CDH with liver up * Gestation at enrollment prior to 29 wks plus 6 days * SEVERE pulmonary hypoplasia with Ultra Sound O/E LHR \< 25% Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant women \<18 years of age. * Maternal contraindication to fetoscopic surgery or severe maternal medical condition in pregnancy * Technical limitations precluding fetoscopic surgery * Rubber latex allergy * Preterm labor, cervix shortened (\<15 mm at enrollment or within 24 hours of FETO balloon insertion procedure) or uterine anomaly strongly predisposing to preterm labor, placenta previa * Psychosocial ineligibility, precluding consent * Diaphragmatic hernia: right-sided or bilateral, major associated anomalies, isolated left-sided with the O/E LHR ≥ 25% * Inability to remain at FETO site during time period of tracheal occlusion, delivery and postnatal care
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Connecticut Children's Medical Center
RECRUITINGHartford, Connecticut, 06106, United States