Surgical treatment of myelomeningocele: year 2000 hospitalization, outcome, and cost analysis in the US.
OBJECTIVE
To review cases of surgical repair for myelomeningocele (MMC) using a large inpatient database from the year 2000.


METHODS
The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database with 7.45 million patient admissions for 2000 was retrospectively studied for the first 5 procedure diagnosis of MMC repair (ICD-9 CM procedure code 0352) and ages of less than 1 year. Eighty-eight patient stays were identified. Patient demographic data, length of stay, immediate disposition at the time of discharge, hospital information, and total cost for the hospitalization were determined.


CONCLUSIONS
Myelomeningocele repair is mostly performed in large teaching institutions in small numbers. The majority gets to go home at discharge. It is surprising to note that only 35% also required VP shunt placement during the same hospitalization.
Sin
Anthony H
AH
Department of Neurosurgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, 1501 Kings Highway, P.O. Box 33932, Shreveport, LA 71130-3932, USA.
Rashidi
Mahmoud
M
Caldito
Gloria
G
Nanda
Anil
A
D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000706:statistics & numerical data