Prenatal surgery promises brighter future for babies with spina
bifida (BPT) - For expectant parents, the 18-week ultrasound
marks an exciting milestone. For most, it is the first time they
get to see their child, they can learn the sex of the baby and
the doctor makes sure development is progressing normally. Mike
and Katherine Mulligan of Cincinnati, Ohio, went for their first
ultrasound in September 2000, and like most parents-to-be,
expected to hear only good news. Instead, their dreams were
dashed when they learned their unborn baby had spina bifida. The
Mulligans' baby had myelomeningocele (MMC), the most common, yet
most severe form of spina bifida, in which an opening in the
back exposes the fetus' developing spinal cord to progressive
damage. They were told that a baby with this condition, even
with surgery after birth, would likely face lifelong
disabilities, including paralysis and cognitive impairment. But
the Mulligans found hope in what was at the time an experimental
fetal surgery available at