Austin Surgeons Repair a Baby's Spine Before Birth, a First for Central Texas
Dell Children's Medical Center performed the region's first in utero surgery for the most severe form of spina bifida, adding a Texas option for families facing a hard diagnosis.
Surgeons at Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin have repaired a baby's spinal cord while the child was still in the womb, the first surgery of its kind in Central Texas, the hospital announced Oct. 14.
The operation treated myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida. The hospital said the procedure puts it among a small number of children's hospitals able to do it.
What the surgery does
Myelomeningocele happens when the spinal canal fails to close during pregnancy, leaving the developing spinal cord exposed. In this surgery, doctors open the mother's abdomen and uterus and repair the baby's spinal cord before birth, which the hospital says helps reduce ongoing injury as the baby grows.
According to Dell Children's, early repair helps preserve motor function and reduces complications such as Chiari II malformation and the need for a shunt to drain fluid from the brain. The condition is diagnosed through second-trimester ultrasounds and fetal MRI, after which the team builds a care plan for mother and child.
Who did it
The surgery was led by Dr. Alireza Shamshirsaz, a fetal surgeon who joined Dell Children's and Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin this year. He directs the Comprehensive Fetal Care Center, a partnership between the hospital and the medical school.
"In utero surgery allows us to intervene during a critical window of development to treat severe fetal conditions," Shamshirsaz said. "We are dedicated to providing expecting parents with compassionate, comprehensive treatment options for the most complex fetal conditions."
The team included specialists in maternal-fetal medicine, fetal intervention, neurosurgery, neonatology and radiology. The hospital said it expects to serve families from across Texas and beyond. Dell Medical School Dean Claudia Lucchinetti called the surgery "a compelling example of how academic medicine can elevate the level of care in a community."
Two patients, one family
This is fetal surgery, and it carries risks for both mother and baby. It is not right for every pregnancy, and families facing a spina bifida diagnosis should talk with specialists about all of their options.
But the news is worth celebrating for what it says. In this operating room, the unborn child is a patient, treated with the same skill and care as any other child. A spina bifida diagnosis can come as a heavy blow to expecting parents. Surgeries like this one offer another path: care for the baby, care for the mother, and hope.
Every child is fearfully and wonderfully made. It is good news when Texas medicine treats them that way before they are born. Families raising children with special needs also depend on what the state funds after birth, which is why Dock Line is watching a proposal to end Texas' children's autism program.
Hero photo: Scott via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped and resized. Generic image, not the Dell Children's patient.
