In a New Procedure, Doctors Repair a Birth Defect Before a Birth

Spina bifida is a birth defect. Children are born with the condition, which occurs when the tissue that forms the spinal column does not close properly in utero. Children who are born with spina bifida sometimes need to have surgery to repair the opening in the back, and have a shunt implanted to drain excess fluid from the brain.  In Sometimes doctors can perform an operation after birth, but now doctors are developing the skill to perform the surgery while the child is still in the mother’s womb.

A story in the New York Times describes how Dr. Michael A. Belfort, Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine and Gynecologist-in-Chief of Texas Children’s Hospital, and pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. William Whitehead performed surgery on a 24-week-old fetus with spina bifida. The team made two, 4-millimeter slits into the mother’s uterus. In one, Dr. Belfort inserted a “fetoscope,” which is a small telescope fitted with a camera, light and a grasping tool. In the other, they inserted “miniature instruments” with which to operate. An ultrasound sometime after the successful surgery, the fetus could be seen moving his ankles and his feet.

The mother’s due date is January 14th.

About the procedure

Belfort and Whitehead have been testing this new, experimental technique in an overheated operating room to create an ideal environment for the fetus. The doctors first practiced operating on sheep, and they even practiced on a doll wrapped in chicken skin and placed inside of a rubber kickball, to simulate the size of a uterus at 24-weeks of pregnancy. Placing the doll inside of the ball, they practiced using their fetoscope and sewing up the chicken skin. According to the Times story, the doctors operated on their first fetus in 2014.

Dr. Belfort is training other doctors in this new technique at Johns Hopkins and Stanford. Not all doctors agree with Dr. Belfort’s technique, and while more research is needed, no babies have been harmed thus far.

It is heart-warming to hear the story of these two doctors who are using their skills to help improve the prognosis of children with birth defects. There have been no deaths so far from this new technique, and it can help give parents peace of mind and fresh hope for their child’s future.

We are thrilled for this family, but we know that procedures like this are still rare, and that not every child with a birth defect will be see lucky. We also know that some birth injuries and defects result from acts of malpractice. If your child has been hurt, or if you or your spouse has been injured by an act of negligence, contact the South Carolina birth injury lawyers of McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC at 803-327-7800 or complete our contact form to schedule a free case consultation.