Surgery to drain fluid and repair and close birth defects of the spine and spinal membranes. It is used to treat the conditions listed below:
Spina bifida : a birth defect which involves an abnormal opening of the spinal area. Spina bifida occulta: the congenital absence of spinal bones with no exposure of the internal structures such as meninges or neural tissue. Meningocele: a congenital defect in the bony structures with distension (swelling) of the meninges (covering layer of spinal cord), but no abnormality of neural tissue. Myelomeningocele: a congenital defect in the bones of the spine with distention of the meninges and structural or functional abnormality of the spinal cord or nerve roots.
Alternative Names
Spina bifida repair; Myelomeningocele repair; Myelomeningocele closure