A baby in the UAE received surgical treatment for spina bifida before birth, with Corniche Hospital completing a laparotomy-assisted fetoscopic repair — a procedure that corrects spinal defects while the fetus is still in the womb.
The hospital, which operates under SEHA, a subsidiary of PureHealth, carried out the complex intervention through a hybrid approach that combines laparotomy and fetoscopic methods. Unlike open fetal surgery, this technique preserves the mother’s ability to deliver naturally in future pregnancies and reduces the surgical burden on her body.
Spina bifida develops when the spine and spinal cord fail to close properly during early fetal development, leaving nerve tissue exposed. The damage this causes is permanent, but early intervention — before birth — can limit its severity, improving the child’s mobility and lowering the likelihood of needing a shunt to manage fluid buildup in the brain.
Dr. Werner Gerhard Diehl, Chair of the Fetal Medicine Department at Corniche Hospital, described the case as a demonstration of what specialised fetal care can achieve. “While spina bifida cannot be cured, offering this highly specialised procedure can meaningfully reduce complications for the baby after birth,” he said. “In fetal medicine, the mother’s safety is always our first priority, and the laparotomy-assisted fetoscopic approach has less impact on future reproductive health compared with other surgical options. Through multidisciplinary collaboration and advanced technology, we were able to intervene effectively and support the family through a very challenging diagnosis.”
The procedure required coordinated input from fetal medicine specialists, obstetric anaesthetists, and paediatric surgeons working together throughout the case.
Dr. Gareth James Waring, a consultant in fetal medicine and imaging at the hospital, stressed that success in high-risk pregnancies depends on timing as much as technique. “Timely diagnosis, advanced surgical expertise, and coordinated specialist care are essential to improving outcomes in high-risk pregnancies,” he said.
The case positions Corniche Hospital among a small number of facilities capable of performing in-utero interventions of this complexity, allowing patients in the UAE to access treatment that would previously have required travel overseas.
