TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital performed Taiwan’s first minimally invasive surgery to repair a fetal spina bifida, a congenital spinal defect, avoiding open abdominal surgery and lowering the risk of uterine rupture, CNA reported on Wednesday.

During early fetal development, the neural tube, which typically forms the spinal cord, may fail to close completely, leaving a gap in the spine. This can cause the spinal nerves and their protective membranes to bulge outward, forming a sac on the fetus’s back. Exposed spinal nerves are at risk of infection from substances in the amniotic fluid.

Wu Chieh-tsai (吳杰才), a neurosurgeon at the hospital, said the condition is rare in Taiwan. If the spinal gap is not repaired, the baby could be born with lower limb paralysis or hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain that can increase pressure and affect development.

Wu said the fetus' mother surnamed Lu (呂) was told at 23 weeks of pregnancy that her baby had a spinal defect. Steven Shaw (蕭勝文), an obstetrician at the hospital, said the team made three small cuts in Lu’s abdomen and uterus, inflated the amniotic sac with carbon dioxide, and placed a bio-fiber patch over the exposed spinal nerves before stitching it in place.

Shaw said the patch protected the spinal nerves from harmful substances in the amniotic fluid. In traditional surgery, the mother’s abdomen and uterus must be opened, which may trigger premature birth, and requires delivery by C-section.

The repair surgery took over two hours, and no additional rehabilitation was needed afterward. The fetus was born at 32 weeks of pregnancy, weighing 2,295 grams.

Between 2020 and 2023, the hospital diagnosed 14 fetuses with the spinal defect, but their parents chose to terminate the pregnancies due to the surgery risks. As a result, Lu’s baby became Taiwan’s first successful case of fetal spinal repair using a minimally invasive procedure.

Hospital Vice Director Lo Liang-ming (羅良明) highlighted the challenges of the surgery, noting the team brought together experts in maternity care, neurosurgery, newborn care, and rehabilitation. She urged parents to seek medical help if prenatal checkups show anything unusual with the fetus.