New Fetal Surgery May Help Children with Spina Bifida

posted on Apr 04 by Snow in the Disability News, Health, Healthcare, Paralysis Cures, Spinal Cord Injury category

A recent clinical trial led by University of California, San Francisco doctor Diana Farmer shows that a new operation for spina bifida performed before birth can increase children’s odds of better health. Children with spina bifida, a birth defect that affects the spinal cord and brain, are often treated by surgeries in infancy, but this new medical study suggests that surgeries performed before birth can be more beneficial.

In children with spina bifida, the spinal cord does not always properly form in the womb, causing the cord to be damaged, underdeveloped, or unprotected by the spine. This damage to the spinal cord can cause partial or full paralysis as well as other neurological disabilities in the child as they grow. Spinal fluid can also build up in the brain, causing swelling and brain injury. Many children with spina bifida have serious disabilities and use wheelchairs for their entire lives.

The surgeries commonly performed for spina bifida patients after birth generally help to correct developmental problems and damage to the spinal cord, as well as other issues like swelling of the brain or buildup of spinal fluid. Often, surgeons will realign the spinal cord within the spinal column and seal off the brain so that spinal fluid does not build up. According to the study, these surgeries can now be performed on fetuses within the mother’s womb.

Many surgeries for spina bifida patients don’t end when the children are young, and some patients may undergo surgeries throughout their lifespan. Often, spina bifida patients have a tube surgically inserted into the cranium in order to drain off the excess fluid that can build up. These tubes, called a shunt, can require many surgeries over the years to prevent infection or repair the shunt.

According to WebMD Health News, “In the study of 183 women:

•    Shunts were needed by 40% of the kids in the fetal surgery group and in 82% of those operated on after birth.
•    At age 3 years, 42% of the kids in the fetal surgery group were able to walk independently, compared with 21% in the surgery-after-birth group.
•    79% of the kids in the fetal surgery group were born prematurely, compared with 15% in the surgery-after-birth group.”