http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/09/surgery.spina.bifada/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnnA new study in the New England Journal of Medicine says that if a baby is operated on while still in the uterus, the most serious complications of the worst form of spina bifada, myelomeningocele, can be lessened.
A clinical trial of 158 women found that brain malformations were reversed in one-third of the fetuses and that almost half the babies could eventually walk without crutches.
"This is not a cure," said Dr. Scott Adzick, lead author of the study and the chief of pediatric surgery at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. But, he said, the results of this clinical trial show that prenatal repair surgery is a viable option.
...
"Fetuses can even heal without scars (if surgery is performed) before 20 weeks," Tulipan said. He believes as the surgical technique continues to improve, it will allow for earlier surgeries and babies may be born without any visible evidence of previous surgery.
More at
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/09/surgery.spina.bifada/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn">link,
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1014379">link to the original article.
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