title: Gestational age at intrauterine myelomeningocele repair does not influence the risk of prematurity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of gestational age at the time of intrauterine myelomeningocele repair on the duration of pregnancy and the gestational age at the time of delivery.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is a retrospective chart review of the maternal and neonatal medical records of all infants undergoing intrauterine myelomeningocele repair at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Birth weight, gestational age at the time of surgery and gestational age at the time of delivery were recorded. Infants were divided into 2 groups depending on gestational age at the time of surgery, either > or = 25 weeks' gestation (group 1) or < 25 weeks (group 2). Results were expressed as medians and interquartile ranges. Statistical analysis was done using the unpaired (2-sample) t test; p values < or = 0.05 were considered significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-five infants were studied. Fifty-one infants were repaired after 25 weeks' gestation (group 1) at a median gestational age of 26.3 weeks (range 25.6-27.6). Their median gestational age at delivery was 34.4 weeks (range 32.6-35.3). Forty-four infants were repaired before 25 weeks' gestation (group 2). Surgery was done at a median gestational age of 23.6 weeks (range 22.4-24.5). The median gestational age at delivery was 34 weeks (range 31.6-35.3; p = 0.88).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early intrauterine myelomeningocele repair before 25 week's gestation does not decrease the gestational age at delivery when compared with repair after 25 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232-2370, USA. ashraf.hamdan@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Hamdan
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heddings
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bruner
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tulipan
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000601:surgery*; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors