Meningocele repair

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Central nervous system

Meningocele repair - series

Spina bifida repair; Myelomeningocele repair; Myelomeningocele closure

How well a patient does depends on the initial condition of the spinal cord and nerves. Possible outcomes range from normal development to various types of paralysis (paraplegia). With treatment, 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. Some patients have hydrocephalus when they are born.

Patients usually spend about 2 weeks in the hospital after surgery and must lay flat without touching the wound area. A tube to drain urine out of the body (bladder catheterization) is usually needed.

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.