Prenatal Spina Bifida Repair: A Survey of Current Practice in the United States

Background:. Prenatal myelomeningocele (MMC) repair offers significant benefits over traditional postnatal repair, as demonstrated by the Management of Myelomeningocele Study trial. We characterize the current specialist involvement in prenatal and postnatal MMC repair. Methods:. The top 50 US News...

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Main Authors: Stuti P. Garg, BA, Krish V. Shah, Marina Lentskevich, MD, Alice Yau, MD, Arun K. Gosain, MD, FACS
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer 2024-12-01
Series:Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open
Online Access:http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000006377
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author Stuti P. Garg, BA
Krish V. Shah
Marina Lentskevich, MD
Alice Yau, MD
Arun K. Gosain, MD, FACS
author_facet Stuti P. Garg, BA
Krish V. Shah
Marina Lentskevich, MD
Alice Yau, MD
Arun K. Gosain, MD, FACS
author_sort Stuti P. Garg, BA
collection DOAJ
description Background:. Prenatal myelomeningocele (MMC) repair offers significant benefits over traditional postnatal repair, as demonstrated by the Management of Myelomeningocele Study trial. We characterize the current specialist involvement in prenatal and postnatal MMC repair. Methods:. The top 50 US News Children’s Hospitals for Neonatology and Neurology/Neurosurgery were queried, resulting in 67 unique hospitals. Specialties involved in MMC repair were extracted via hospital websites and surveys. Results:. Among the 58 hospitals included, only 18 (31%) offered both prenatal and postnatal MMC repair, and the remaining 40 (69%) offered postnatal repair only. Of the 40 hospitals offering postnatal repair only, neurosurgeons (n = 38), orthopedic surgeons (n = 34), and urologists (n = 33) were most often included. Of the 18 hospitals with prenatal repair, neurosurgeons (n = 18) and maternal–fetal medicine specialists (n = 14) were most commonly involved. Prenatal teams had pediatric and fetal surgeons involved more often than postnatal teams (P = 0.011 and P = 0.035, respectively). Only 7 prenatal teams included fellowship-trained fetal surgeons. Teams led by fetal surgeons always included neurosurgeons (n = 7) and maternal–fetal medicine specialists (n = 7) and were least likely to include plastic surgeons (n = 1). Conclusions:. These data emphasize both the delayed adaptation of fetal repair of MMC by major children’s hospitals and lack of fellowship-trained specialists involved; only 31% of the major children’s hospitals offer prenatal repair of MMC, with only 39% of those hospitals being led by a fellowship-trained fetal surgeon. These data highlight the need for additional teams trained in prenatal MMC repair as well as the standardization of fetal surgery fellowships to allow for the development of prenatal repair teams.
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spelling doaj-art-3441ca17d3074e36a0a5b5ac80b5e7982025-08-20T02:40:30ZengWolters KluwerPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open2169-75742024-12-011212e637710.1097/GOX.0000000000006377202412000-00034Prenatal Spina Bifida Repair: A Survey of Current Practice in the United StatesStuti P. Garg, BA0Krish V. Shah1Marina Lentskevich, MD2Alice Yau, MD3Arun K. Gosain, MD, FACS4From the Division of Plastic Surgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.From the Division of Plastic Surgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.From the Division of Plastic Surgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.From the Division of Plastic Surgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.From the Division of Plastic Surgery, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.Background:. Prenatal myelomeningocele (MMC) repair offers significant benefits over traditional postnatal repair, as demonstrated by the Management of Myelomeningocele Study trial. We characterize the current specialist involvement in prenatal and postnatal MMC repair. Methods:. The top 50 US News Children’s Hospitals for Neonatology and Neurology/Neurosurgery were queried, resulting in 67 unique hospitals. Specialties involved in MMC repair were extracted via hospital websites and surveys. Results:. Among the 58 hospitals included, only 18 (31%) offered both prenatal and postnatal MMC repair, and the remaining 40 (69%) offered postnatal repair only. Of the 40 hospitals offering postnatal repair only, neurosurgeons (n = 38), orthopedic surgeons (n = 34), and urologists (n = 33) were most often included. Of the 18 hospitals with prenatal repair, neurosurgeons (n = 18) and maternal–fetal medicine specialists (n = 14) were most commonly involved. Prenatal teams had pediatric and fetal surgeons involved more often than postnatal teams (P = 0.011 and P = 0.035, respectively). Only 7 prenatal teams included fellowship-trained fetal surgeons. Teams led by fetal surgeons always included neurosurgeons (n = 7) and maternal–fetal medicine specialists (n = 7) and were least likely to include plastic surgeons (n = 1). Conclusions:. These data emphasize both the delayed adaptation of fetal repair of MMC by major children’s hospitals and lack of fellowship-trained specialists involved; only 31% of the major children’s hospitals offer prenatal repair of MMC, with only 39% of those hospitals being led by a fellowship-trained fetal surgeon. These data highlight the need for additional teams trained in prenatal MMC repair as well as the standardization of fetal surgery fellowships to allow for the development of prenatal repair teams.http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000006377
spellingShingle Stuti P. Garg, BA
Krish V. Shah
Marina Lentskevich, MD
Alice Yau, MD
Arun K. Gosain, MD, FACS
Prenatal Spina Bifida Repair: A Survey of Current Practice in the United States
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open
title Prenatal Spina Bifida Repair: A Survey of Current Practice in the United States
title_full Prenatal Spina Bifida Repair: A Survey of Current Practice in the United States
title_fullStr Prenatal Spina Bifida Repair: A Survey of Current Practice in the United States
title_full_unstemmed Prenatal Spina Bifida Repair: A Survey of Current Practice in the United States
title_short Prenatal Spina Bifida Repair: A Survey of Current Practice in the United States
title_sort prenatal spina bifida repair a survey of current practice in the united states
url http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000006377
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