Born twice.

Dr. Joe Bruner, Vanderbilt Medical Center (US) carries out ante-natal surgery on foetuses with spina bifida. In Britain, it is still customary to wait until the baby is born before attempting treatment. Spina bifida causes the spinal cord to be left exposed, resulting in paralysis, and surgery consists of building a protective layer around the spinal cord. The baby's own muscle and skin are used for this. One of the problems is that the operation may take several hours and the baby is exposed to the mother's anaesthetic. It is a controversial procedure, with high risk and no proof that it reduces the incidence of paralysis. Also, complications during surgery can result in premature delivery of the child. But Dr. Joe Bruner is optimistic that it is the beginning of a new field of medicine which will offer treatment for other birth defects. The preparation for surgery is shown, with detailed scenes in the operating theatre. A caesarean delivery of a baby who underwent foetal surgery is shown, and the child has movement and feeling in his limbs. Dr. Bruner believes that the risks are becoming less and the benefits more apparent. (There is also a BBC TV Horizon video on this subject, 'Twice Born' - 1995.)