Use of new Intrauterine Shunt for fetal fluid accumulations. Single Center experience from first 17 cases.

Pleural effusion is the most common fluid-accumulation in the fetus with a prevalence of 1:15.000-24.000 pregnancies.1 The clinical picture is highly variable ranging from spontaneous resolution to lung hypoplasia, hydrops and death.1 Treatment options include thoracocentesis, thoraco-amniotic shunting and pleurodesis using OK-432.2 The conventional thoraco-amniotic shunts are applied using a 13-16G trochar.3,4 Somatex® Intrauterine Shunt (IUS) was launched in 2014 and consists of a self-expanding nitinol wire mesh with an inner silicone coating to be inserted through an 18G/1.2 mm needle.