The diaphragm is the largest and most important muscle that lets us breathe. It sits beneath the lungs and separates the chest from the abdomen. In congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), there is a gap in the diaphragm that forms before birth, which allows organs from the abdomen such as the bowel, stomach, or liver, to move up into the chest. This limits the space the lungs have to grow, so babies with CDH are often born with smaller lungs than usual.
After surgery to repair the hole and intensive care after birth, many children with CDH grow up well, but they may have long-term effects on their breathing and lung function.
More recently, a procedure called FETO (Fetal Endoscopic Tracheal Occlusion) has been used in some fetuses to help their lungs grow better in the womb.
Understanding how lungs develop in children who have or who have not had the FETO procedure is one of the key aims of our study.