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As Sarah Prowell and Sean Kirby watch their newborn, Uriah, kick his legs between naps, they are hopeful for his future. At 18 weeks pregnant, Uriah’s mom learned that he had spina bifida, a debilitating birth defect affecting 1,500 to 2,000 American babies a year. In its most severe form, babies with spina bifida are born with an opening in their backs that allows part of the spinal cord and nerves to protrude. "We were both pretty distraught at first and worried about his life — the road ahead of him," Kirby said. Without medical intervention, Uriah faced a list of potentially serious disabilities, including paralysis, lifelong bladder issues and infections.
kicking the odds meet uriah: the first baby in north texas to undergo surgery before he was born editorial submitted by friend steward partners at Medical City Children's Hospital Fetal Care Center 58 connexions
Kevin Magee, a maternal-fetal medicine doctor and Medical City’s Medical Director of Fetal Interventions at Medical City Dallas, advised Uriah’s parents that his best option was to have spine surgery while still inside the womb. Early correction of these problems prior to birth can increase the odds of a healthy baby.
“I had never heard of fetal surgery before this,” Sarah said. “I was just excited that we could do something to help his future.” Dr. Magee recommended Timothy Crombleholme, MD, director of the Fetal Care Center at Medical City Children’s Hospital, one of only a handful of surgeons and programs nationwide qualified to perform open surgery on unborn babies.
Dr. Crombleholme and a team of multidisciplinary specialists successfully performed complex open fetal surgery on Uriah last June — the first procedure of its kind at Medical City Children’s Hospital. “Performing open fetal surgery is a team effort among many exceptionally skilled clinical experts,” Dr. Crombleholme said. “We have a very large multidisciplinary team that starts from the first moment a patient arrives.”
