title: A comparison of the MOMS trial results to a contemporaneous, single-institution, postnatal closure cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluate a single-institution cohort of mothers contemporaneous with the Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) trial to determine the generalizability of MOMS results and compare shunt rates.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review identified patients with myelomeningocele born between 2003 and 2009. We applied MOMS eligibility criteria and compared sociodemographic variables between patients at our institution who would have been eligible or ineligible and MOMS participants. Finally, we applied the original MOMS primary outcome and the revised primary outcome to our cohort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 78 patients, 55 (70.5%) were eligible for the MOMS trial. Mean maternal age, race, and marital status were different from both MOMS groups. Comparing our series to MOMS postnatal shows fewer female infants (44.9 vs. 63.8%, p = 0.017) and more thoracic lesions (12.8 vs. 3.8%, p = 0.038). Shunt rates in our cohort (84.6%) were higher than MOMS prenatal and similar to MOMS postnatal (44.0 and 83.7%, respectively). Fewer children met the original primary outcome than the postnatal group (84.6 vs. 97.8%, p = 0.002). There was no significant difference between our cohort and the prenatal group (84.6 vs. 72.5%, p = 0.058). When applying the revised criteria, we find the opposite: a significant difference between local and MOMS prenatal (84.6 vs. 49.5%, p < 0.001) but no difference between the local group and MOMS postnatal (84.6 vs. 87.0%, p = 0.662).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mothers in our cohort differ from mothers enrolled in MOMS via several sociodemographic factors. Baseline fetal characteristics show a significantly higher functional lesion level in between our cohort and MOMS. Treatment of hydrocephalus in our series tracks almost identically with original MOMS shunt criteria. Revision of the criteria led to greater concordance between meeting criteria and receiving a shunt in MOMS patients, but changes the results in our series.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1600 7th Ave. S, Lowder 400, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas M B
authors.initials: NMB
authors.lastname: Laskay
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1600 7th Ave. S, Lowder 400, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.
authors.forename: Anastasia A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Arynchyna
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1600 7th Ave. S, Lowder 400, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.
authors.forename: Samuel G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: McClugage
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1600 7th Ave. S, Lowder 400, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.
authors.forename: Betsy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hopson
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Chevis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shannon
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1600 7th Ave. S, Lowder 400, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ditty
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wellons
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1600 7th Ave. S, Lowder 400, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Blount
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1600 7th Ave. S, Lowder 400, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA. brandon.rocque@childrensal.org.
authors.forename: Brandon G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Rocque
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Chiari II malformation; Hydrocephalus; Management of Myelomeningocele Study; Myelomeningocele; Shunt