Doctors repair unborn babies'spines

LONDON, Oct 24 (BBC): Two unborn babies have had their spines repaired by surgeons - weeks before they were born.

The operations - which are the first ever of their kind in the UK - were carried out by a team of 30 doctors at University College Hospital in London.

The babies had spina bifida, a condition when the spinal cord fails to develop properly and has a gap in it.

It is usually treated after birth, but the earlier it is repaired the better for long-term health and mobility.

During the 90-minute surgery carried out this summer, doctors cut an opening in the womb and then stitched together the baby's gap in the spine.

The procedure is risky and can cause premature labour, but researchers are exploring less invasive keyhole methods.

"We put the mum on some drugs that help relax them, but there is still a risk," said UCL Professor Anne David, who has worked on bringing the surgery to the UK for three years.

Mums and babies are recovering well, the hospital said.

Mothers previously had to go abroad to the US, Belgium or Switzerland for the operation.

"It's fantastic," said Prof David. "Women now don't have to travel out of the UK. They can have their family with them. There are less expenses. So all good things."

According to the charity Shine, more than 200 children are born with spine bifida every year.

The NHS says the condition happens when the baby's neural tube - an early form of the baby's brain and spinal cord - does not form properly and leads to gaps or defects in the spinal cord and bones of the spine.

Surgery can be used to close the gap in the spine in most cases, but often the nervous system will already have been damaged leading to problems including paralysis of the legs and incontinence. Some people with the condition have learning difficulties.