Meningocele repair

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Meningocele repair (also known as myelomeningocele repair) is surgery to repair birth defects of the spine and spinal membranes. Meningocele and myelomeningocele are types of spina bifida.

Myelomeningocele repair; Myelomeningocele closure; Myelodysplasia repair; Spinal dysraphism repair; Meningomyelocele repair; Neural tube defect repair; Spina bifida repair

For both meningoceles and myelomeningoceles, the surgeon will close the opening in the back.

After birth, the defect is covered by a sterile dressing. Your child may then be transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and cared for by a medical team experienced in caring for children with spina bifida.

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Your baby will likely have an MRI (magnetic resonance imagining) or ultrasound of the back. An MRI or ultrasound of the brain may be done to look for hydrocephalus (extra fluid in the brain).

If the myelomeningocele is not covered by skin or a membrane when your child is born, surgery will happen within 24 to 48 hours after birth to prevent infection.

If your child has hydrocephalus, the doctor may put a shunt (plastic tube) in their brain to drain the extra fluid to the stomach. This prevents pressure that could damage the baby’s brain. See also: Ventriculoperitoneal shunt

Your child should not be exposed to latex before, during, and after surgery. Many of these children have very bad allergies to latex.

Repair of a meningocele or myelomeningocele is needed to prevent infection and further injury to the child’s spinal cord and nerves. Surgery cannot correct the defects in the spinal cord or nerves.

A health care provider often will find these defects before birth using fetal ultrasound. The doctor will follow the fetus very closely until birth. It is better if you're infant is carried to full term. Your doctor will want to do a cesarean section (C-section). This will prevent further damage to the sac or exposed spinal tissue.