It is not the first case we know, although it does not stop surprising us: a 24-week-old baby has undergone a intrauterine fetal surgery to correct spina bifida He had been diagnosed.
It has happened in the United Kingdom, and it is the fourth operation of these characteristics that is done in the country, the last two being last summer. Following the success of the intervention, carried out by surgeons from University College London and the Great Ormond Street Hospital, the baby is expected to continue gestation inside the mother's womb until next April.
Intrauterine fetal surgery to correct spina bifida
When Bethon and Kieron Simpson were told that the baby they were waiting for came with spina bifida, the world came upon them. Among the possibilities presented to them by doctors was intrauterine fetal surgery, a delicate technique in which the baby is operated inside his mother's womb.
After the relevant pre-tests, resonances and scanners, the operation that was aimed at was authorized repair baby's spinal cord.
The delicate fetal surgery was performed by a team of English and Belgian surgeons, and to perform it they had to open the mother's uterus, partially remove the baby to operate it, and then relocate it inside.The operation went well and pregnancy is expected to continue until next April, when the baby will be born.
As reported from the University College London website, fetal surgery offers greater advantages than postnatal surgeries for babies with spina bifida, since the defect in the spine is repaired and the damage to the spinal cord is prevented from moving forward.
"The closure of spina bifida in the uterus using this method is an alternative to postnatal surgery, and It has been shown to improve results in the short and medium term. While no intervention is completely curative, in fetal surgery the defect closes earlier, which prevents damage to the spinal cord in the last third of pregnancy. "
"Prenatal closure is associated with a 50% reduction in the need for surgical shunt placement in the newborn, and a significant improvement in motor function at 30 months of age"- explain the surgeons.
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According to data from the Spanish Federation of Associations of Spina Bifica, almost two out of every thousand children born in our country with spina bifida, a congenital neural tube defect, which is a narrow channel that folds and closes between the third and fourth week of pregnancy to form the baby's brain and spinal cord.
When some kind of abnormality occurs during the formation process, or the neural tube does not close completely, defects can occur in the brain, spine and spinal cord. Sometimes, spina bifida is also associated with hydrocephalus, the central nervous system, the locomotor system and the genitourinary system being affected.
Today, spina bifida cannot be cured, although the consequences of the malformation can be minimized and the child's quality of life can be improved. The first step is the surgical closure of the defect, not to restore the neurological deficit but to prevent infection of the nervous tissue and protect the medulla, which is exposed.
The operation is usually done a few days after the baby is born, but it has been shown that intrauterine fetal surgery reduces the risk of developing motor and intellectual disabilities. However, it is a very delicate technique that is not carried out in all hospitals.
The causes that cause spina bifida are unknown, although it is believed that it may be a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Taking folic acid before and during pregnancy prevents spina bifida by 70%, and is also effective in preventing anencephaly, cleft lip and delays in the baby's language.
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