Meningocele repair

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Central nervous system

Overview

Recovery

Risks

Meningocele repair

Alternative Names:

Spina bifida repair; Myelomeningocele repair; Myelomeningocele closure

Expectations after surgery:

The long-term results depend on the initial condition of the spinal cord and nerves. Possible outcomes range from normal development to various types of paralysis (paraplegia), depending on the level of spinal cord involvement. With modern treatments, greater than 85% of infants survive, and about 50% will be able to walk.

Hydrocephalus ("water on the brain") develops in about 70% of patients with myelomeningocele. It is already present in 5-10% of patients at birth.

In patients with myelomeningocele and developing hydrocephalus, most surgeons will wait for a few days after repairing the myleomeningocele to treat the hydrocephalus with a shunt to relieve pressure. If hydrocephalus is present at birth and already causing problems, then the myelomeningocele repair and shunt are done at the same time.

After surgery, antibiotics are usually given to prevent infection.

Convalescence:

Patients usually spend about 2 weeks in the hospital after surgery. During this time the patient is kept flat without lying on the incision as it heals. Bladder catheterization is usually required.

Review Date: 11/16/2004
Reviewed By: Luc D. Jasmin, MD, PhD, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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