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Surgeons repair babies' spinal cords in the womb in UK first
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/24/doctors-repair-babies-spinal-cords-in-womb-uk-first-spina-bifidaSurgeons repair babies' spinal cords in the womb in UK first
Press Association
Wed 24 Oct 2018 07.38 BST
Weeks before they even took their first breaths, two babies had their spinal cords delicately repaired by surgeons, in the first operations of their kind in the UK.
The spina bifida surgeries were successfully performed by a team at University College hospital in London this summer on two babies while they were still in the womb.
Spina bifida is usually treated after birth but research shows repairing the spine earlier can stop the loss of spinal fluid and lead to better long-term health and mobility outcomes.
A 30-strong team carried out the two operations, coordinated by the UCL professor Anne David, who had worked for three years to bring the procedure to patients in the UK. She said mothers previously had to travel to the US, Belgium or Switzerland for the procedure.
(snip)
