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Meningocele repair

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Definition:

Meningocele repair is surgery to repair birth defects of the spine and spinal membranes. It is used to treat a meningocele, a birth defect in the bones of the spine that involves swelling of the tissue covering the spinal cord and brain. It is also used to treat spina bifida and myelomeningocele .

Alternative Names:

Spina bifida repair; Myelomeningocele repair; Myelomeningocele closure

Description:

For both meningoceles and myelomeningoceles, surgery consists of putting the spinal cord or nerve roots in their normal place and protecting them by closing the overlying meninges and skin.

A myelomeningocele should be closed within 24 hours of birth to prevent infection. A shunt is usually required to drain excess fluid. If the baby has fluid build-up in the brain, a shunt is usually put in when the myelomeningocele is repaired. Otherwise, most neurosurgeons wait about 3 days to place a shunt.

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.

Indications:

Surgery is recommended if a meningocele or meningomyelocele is present.

• Review Date: 10/16/2006
• Reviewed By: J.A. Lee, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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