Doctors perform spinal surgery on unborn baby

Doctors in Britain have successfully performed an operation on an unborn baby with spina bifida in a groundbreaking procedure that involved removing the fetus from the womb and replacing her following surgery.

The procedure provides a new treatment option for unborn babies diagnosed with the condition, including those in parts of China where it is prevalent.

Spina bifida hinders normal development of the spine and spinal cord, and, in severe cases, leads to incontinence and the total paralysis of the legs.

Bethan Simpson, a 26-year-old nurse from Burnham, England, elected to move forward with the surgery after scans revealed her baby girl’s condition.

The surgery was performed last month at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London by a team of specialists from University College London Hospital and University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium.

The operation required the temporary removal of the 24-week-old baby from the uterus, according to Simpson. Surgeons at Great Ormond Street conducted two similar operations on fetuses with spina bifida last year, though in those cases the babies were left in the womb during surgery.

Simpson’s baby, which is due in April, is recovering well. “It’s not a death sentence,” Simpson said, “Yes, there are risks of things going wrong, but please think more about spina bifida. It’s not what it used to be.”

Paolo De Coppi of the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health said the surgery greatly reduces the need for the insertion of a surgical shunt following birth, and the newborns can expect significant improvements in motor function as they develop. Spina bifida is associated with poor life expectancy, and high levels of mortality in infants aged five and under.

The high prevalence of spina bifida in parts of China, some Latin American countries, and among indigenous communities in Canada and Australia, suggests that rates of the condition differ among ethnic groups. In the United States, rates are highest among Hispanics and whites, with lower levels in the black population.

Three provinces in China — Shanxi, Hunan and Hubei — have particularly high rates of spina bifida. A Peking University study of four counties in Shanxi province found spina bifida present in 58 out of 10,000 newborns. The US Centers for Disease Control estimates the global average is around two in 10,000 newborns.

Genetic, environmental and dietary factors have all been linked to the disease. To reduce the risk, expectant mothers are encouraged to take supplements of folic acid, which is a synthesized form of vitamin B9.

Around 80 countries now mandate that certain foods, such as wheat flour, be fortified with folic acid.