Who we support and why ?

The fetal surgery program for open spina bifida is now commissioned by NHS England through two Fetal Surgery Centres (FSCs):

• University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) with Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH), London, UK.
• The University Hospitals Leuven, in Leuven, Belgium

Spina bifida (myelomeningocele, MMC) is a condition in which the spinal cord and spinal column are not properly formed before birth. A surgical procedure is traditionally used to close the defect shortly after the baby is born. Researchers have recently demonstrated that fetal surgery can close the defect before birth.

There is evidence that, in some cases, open fetal surgery to close the spina bifida defect improves the babies outcome. This type of fetal surgery is only performed in a few centers in the US, South America, and Europe. In open fetal surgery, a small hole is made in the uterus (hysterotomy) in mid-pregnancy to access the fetus and close the spina bifida defect. The uterus is then closed by fetal surgeons, allowing the baby to continue growing. University College London Hospitals has secured clinical permissions to offer the first open fetal surgery service in the country.

At Spina Warriors we support this form of research to help those that are born with Spina Bifida and those that are affected by it daily. This is why at Spina Warriors your donations and support will help further research with this ground breaking surgery to offer a much improved diagnosis going forward.

We funded pioneering surgery in the womb | UCLH Charity