How is Spina Bifida managed?
The baby will be seen by a paediatric surgeon or paediatric neurosurgeon shortly after birth.The surgeon will then decide whether the child should have surgery to repair the defect in the back.
This surgery will take place in a specialist unit usually within 48 hours. Some surgeons do not close the back surgically but leave it to heal without intervention.
Prospective parents who have had a baby with a neural tube defect, or who have a close relative with a neural tube defect, can be referred to a genetic counsellor to discuss the risk to future pregnancies.
