Treatment options for babies diagnosed with spina bifida
There are two main options for how to go about treating infants with spina bifida: either wait for the baby to reach term, deliver by cesarean section and then operate, or have an intrauterine procedure done to correct the spine before birth. The more conventional way is the after birth repair, but studies such as the MOMS trial have shown that the intrauterine repair has better outcomes in the long run.
The fetal repair for myelomeningocele was first credited to Dr. Michael Harrison at UCSF. He is an advocate for fetal surgery in all areas.
Fetal repair of myelomeningocele is controversial because the repair itself does not fix the baby completely. While it does alleviate a lot of the developmental issues--such as hydrocephalus, urinary bladder complications, and bowel function issues--it is a surgery to improve the quality of life for a baby instead of to intervene and save their life. It is debated among fetal surgeons whether or not surgical intervention should be done when the lives of the mother or the child are not threatened, but there is significant evidence to show that fetal surgery can drastically improve a patient's life.
The procedure for fixing spina bifida in-utero is outlined in the image and video below.
The fetal repair for myelomeningocele was first credited to Dr. Michael Harrison at UCSF. He is an advocate for fetal surgery in all areas.
Fetal repair of myelomeningocele is controversial because the repair itself does not fix the baby completely. While it does alleviate a lot of the developmental issues--such as hydrocephalus, urinary bladder complications, and bowel function issues--it is a surgery to improve the quality of life for a baby instead of to intervene and save their life. It is debated among fetal surgeons whether or not surgical intervention should be done when the lives of the mother or the child are not threatened, but there is significant evidence to show that fetal surgery can drastically improve a patient's life.
The procedure for fixing spina bifida in-utero is outlined in the image and video below.
After birth, the repair looks similar for the infant, except the doctor does not have to operate on the mother as well.