Texas Children's Hospital in Houston has performed 100 two-port fetoscopic surgeries for spina bifida, according to a June 30 announcement.
The procedure repairs a baby's spine in a minimally invasive procedure with two four millimeter uterine ports. This reduces the chance of membrane rupture and amniotic fluid leakage.
Pediatric neurosurgeon William Whitehead, MD, and obstetrician Michael Belfort, MD, PhD, performed the world's first successful two-port fetoscopic surgery in 2014. They started developing and practicing the method in 2011.
"This milestone is very exciting and has been years in the making at Texas Children's," Dr. Belfort said. "Our procedure allows the mother the chance of a normal term delivery and reduces her risk of the type of complications that may be seen with the open uterus approach. We hope that our outcomes will inspire other physicians to use this technique to improve spina bifida care across the world."