First UK surgery in womb for babies with spina bifida

A team from UCL, University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has operated on the abnormally developed spinal cords of two babies in the womb, in a medical first for the UK. The team repaired the defect in the spine of two babies with open spina bifida, in separate operations this summer. Mums and babies are recovering well. The operations brought together researchers from UCL working with NHS clinicians from UCLH and GOSH in partnership with University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium to carry out the operations in the UK for the first time. Until now, mums could choose to have the fetal surgery abroad or have postnatal surgery after the baby is born, which is the current practice in the UK. This specialist fetal surgery will give the baby a significantly better chance in life, as compared to postnatal surgery, as babies with spina bifida are very often incapable of walking, and may require a series of operations to drain fluid from the brain (shunt placement) later in life. "In spina bifida, the spinal canal does not close completely in the womb, leaving the spinal cord exposed from an early stage in pregnancy.