title: Improvement of motor function and decreased need for postnatal shunting in children who had undergone intrauterine myelomeningocele repair.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare neuromotor development between patients who did and those who did not undergo intrauterine myelomeningocele repair.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children with myelomeningocele aged between 3.5 and 6 years who did undergo intrauterine repair (Group A, n=6) or not (Group B; n=7) were assessed for neuromotor development at both anatomical and functional levels, need for orthoses, and cognitive function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intrauterine myelomeningocele repair significantly improved motor function. The functional level was higher than the anatomical level by 2 or more spinal segments in all children in Group A and 2 children in Group B, with a significant statistical difference between groups (p<0.05). Five children in Group A and one in Group B were community ambulators.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the small sample, it was observed that an improvement of motor function and decreased need for postnatal shunting in the 6 children who had undergone intrauterine myelomeningocele repair.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São PauloSP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tereza Cristina Carbonari de
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Faria
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cavalheiro
authors.forename: Wagner Jou
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Hisaba
authors.forename: Antonio Fernandes
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Moron
authors.forename: Maria Regina
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Torloni
authors.forename: Ana Lucia Batista de
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Carolina Peixoto
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Borges
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D005332:Fetoscopy; D006801:Humans; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome