Open-womb spina bifida surgery performed at Medical City Dallas Uriah Prowell was a few days old when he began kicking his legs, signaling early success from leading edge spina bifida surgery performed when he was still in his mother’s womb, Medical City Children’s Hospital in Dallas said in a news release Oct. 8.
The surgery, performed at The Fetal Care Center at Medical City Children’s Hospital on June 25, 2018, was the first time the procedure has been performed in North Texas, the hospital said, When she was 18 weeks pregnant, Uriah’s mother, Sarah, learned her unborn son had spina bifida, a birth defect caused when the spine and spinal cord do not form properly, in many cases leaving a portion of the spine exposed. Without medical intervention, the condition causes differing levels of disability, which can include paralysis and lifelong bladder issues.
She was referred to Timothy Crombleholme, MD, director of The Fetal Care Center, one of only a handful of surgeons nationwide qualified to perform open fetal surgery, the news release said.
“Performing open fetal surgery is a team effort among many exceptionally skilled clinical experts,” Crombleholme said in the news release. “The comprehensive care team at The Fetal Care Center at Medical City Children’s Hospital will help care for Uriah as he grows up and will do all that we can to A multi-disciplinary team of specialists cared for Uriah and Sarah including a maternal-fetal specialist, pediatric neurosurgeon and specialized, highly trained fetal nurses. This complex open fetal surgery should help mitigate lifelong disabilities for Uriah caused by spina bifida.
The Fetal Care Center at Medical City Children’s Hospital is one of only a very few centers in the world with the capability to perform the full range of fetal interventions, the hospital said in the news release.
Medical City Children’s Hospital, established in 1996, is a 181-bed comprehensive pediatric health care facility in Dallas.
medicalcitychildrenshospital.com
For more information about the Fetal Care Center, visit: bit.ly/MCCHFetalSurgery – FWBP Staff