Improvement of motor function and decreased need for postnatal shunting in children who had undergone intrauterine myelomeningocele repair.

OBJECTIVE To compare neuromotor development between patients who did and those who did not undergo intrauterine myelomeningocele repair. METHODS Children with myelomeningocele aged between 3.5 and 6 years who did undergo intrauterine repair (Group A, n=6) or not (Group B; n=7) were assessed for neuromotor development at both anatomical and functional levels, need for orthoses, and cognitive function. RESULTS Intrauterine myelomeningocele repair significantly improved motor function. The functional level was higher than the anatomical level by 2 or more spinal segments in all children in Group A and 2 children in Group B, with a significant statistical difference between groups (p<0.05). Five children in Group A and one in Group B were community ambulators. CONCLUSION Despite the small sample, it was observed that an improvement of motor function and decreased need for postnatal shunting in the 6 children who had undergone intrauterine myelomeningocele repair.