Premiere use of Integra™ artificial skin to close an extensive fetal skin defect during open in utero repair of myelomeningocele.
BACKGROUND
There are fetuses demonstrating very large myelomeningocele lesion which can not be covered with autochothonous skin.


METHODS
We use Integra™ artificial skin for intrauterine coverage of the back lesion. A reverse latissimus dorsi flap was used postnatally to reinforce the repair site.


CONCLUSIONS
Integra™ appears to be a suitable coverage for large soft tissue defects in utero. Moreover, a postnatal reverse latissimus dorsi flap appears to markedly strengthen tissue coverage over a spinal cord rescued in utero.
The Zurich Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, Zurich, Switzerland, martin.meuli@kispi.uzh.ch.
Martin
M
Meuli
Claudia
C
Meuli-Simmen
Alan W
AW
Flake
Roland
R
Zimmermann
Nicole
N
Ochsenbein
Ianina
I
Scheer
Luca
L
Mazzone
Ueli
U
Moehrlen
D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D017768:Skin, Artificial; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D016896:Treatment Outcome