The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Celebrates Spina Bifida Awareness Month

Too often, families whose babies have been diagnosed with spina bifida and other birth defects are not aware of the treatments available at a place like the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment (CFDT) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

The CFDT staff pioneered a surgical procedure to repair spina bifida before birth and has been performing it at CHOP since 1998. The CHOP team found that addressing spina bifida by operating on the baby in the womb, months before birth, can reduce the need to divert fluid from the brain, improve neurologic function and increase the likelihood that a child would be able to walk independently. Those same results were later confirmed in 2011 when the results of a landmark nationwide clinical trial, co-led by CHOP, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and conclusively established the effectiveness of fetal surgery for spina bifida.

"Establishing fetal surgery for spina bifida as a standard of care option was one of the most exciting developments in the history of the treatment for birth defects, and one that our CHOP team has spent years helping to pioneer," says N. Scott Adzick, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief and Director of the CFDT. "It's very gratifying to take an idea we had over 20 years ago, test it thoroughly, apply it cautiously in the clinical setting, and, eventually, have the ability to offer a new therapy that can completely change the life of a child."

To date, the team has completed nearly 300 fetal surgeries for myelomeningocele repair. Babies with spina bifida are delivered in the Center's Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit (SDU). The SDU is the first birthing unit located within a children's hospital designed for healthy mothers carrying babies with known birth defects who will require immediate care after delivery. 

CHOP is also home to the world's first comprehensive Spina Bifida Program. Designed to be multidisciplinary, it offers comprehensive evaluation and long-term management for infants, children and teens with spina bifida, spinal cord injuries and other spinal cord abnormalities. Medical support services are also available to patients with these disorders.

Most recently, the CFDT was the focus of a three-part documentary series called "TWICE BORN: Stories from the Special Delivery Unit," that aired on PBS in 2015 and won an Emmy for Outstanding Science and Technology Programming last month. The documentary featured fetal surgery for spina bifida patient Luelle and her parents Shelly and Bobby Ross.

MEET MIAH

Today, Miah can do things her parents, Stephanie and Jeremiah Rodriguez, never would have dreamed possible. They learned she had myelomeningocele at just 18 weeks into their pregnancy. Left feeling like she had little options, Stephanie, a NICU nurse, reached out to her colleagues who recommended CHOP. Upon evaluation, a fetal MRI confirmed Miah to be a candidate for fetal surgery. At 21 weeks' gestation, Stephanie underwent surgery at the CFDT. After overcoming a few complications following surgery, Miah was born at 34 weeks. Today, Miah has had some medical issues as a result of spina bifida, but can walk independently and loves playing outside, swimming and riding bikes. Read more about Miah's story.  

"It is so rewarding to see patients, who before even being born received grave diagnoses, growing up healthy and strong," said Adzick. "It's important to be open and honest with families and to be clear that while fetal surgery is not a cure for spina bifida, it has the potential to drastically improve the patient's life. It has been our pleasure to give families hope for their baby's future, and we look forward to continuing to treat more and more children."

About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide.  Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country.  In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 535-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu

Media Contact: Ashley Moore 
[email protected]
267-426-6071  

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161017/429431

SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

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http://www.chop.edu