Supporting patients, staff and research at UCLH
Spina_bifida_research_birth.jpg

Pioneering surgery in the womb

Home Case studies Pioneering surgery in the womb

We funded pioneering surgery in the womb for babies with spina bifida.  In a UK first, surgeons at UCLH and Great Ormond Street collaborated to perform spinal surgery in the womb on a baby whose scan had shown spinal abnormalities.  Surgery on the spine at this critical time, before the baby is fully developed, can limit the effects of spina bifida in child and adulthood.  

The pioneering team were featured on a primetime BBC documentary, Spina Bifida and Me.  In 2019, with colleagues from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), the team won the Clinical Leadership Award  at the BMJ Awards, the UK's leading medical awards which promote excellence in healthcare and recognise the inspirational work of healthcare teams across the country

Back to Case Studies