title: Successful fetal surgery for the repair of a 'myelomeningocele-like' defect created in the fetal rabbit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the correction of a 'myelomeningocele-like' defect in fetal rabbits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve pregnant rabbits had a spinal defect surgically created in 40 of their fetuses at 23 days of gestation. Immediate repair was performed in 30 fetuses (group I), and 10 remained uncorrected (group II). After 30 days, the fetuses were harvested and the anatomopathological aspects where compared using Fisher's exact test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three different techniques to apply a cellulose graft were used for correction in 8 (technique A), 7 (technique B), and 15 animals (technique C), but only one (technique C) was successful. The survival rate at 30 days was 66.7% (10/15) in group I and 80% (8/10) in group II. A 'myelomeningocele-like' defect was present in all fetuses in group II, while in group I the defect was successfully repaired in 80% of the surviving fetuses (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The surgically created spinal defect was successfully repaired, and also the fetal rabbit could be established as a model for the study of intrauterine correction of a myelomeningocele-like defect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Surgery, Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia, São Paulo, Brazil. wdpedreira@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Denise A L
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Pedreira
authors.forename: Paulo R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Valente
authors.forename: Rogério C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Abou-Jamra
authors.forename: Cláudio L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Pelarigo
authors.forename: Lilian M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Saul
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goldenberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002482:Cellulose; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005332:Fetoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002482:Cellulose