Ohio Doctors Perform Surgery to Repair Birth Defect on Baby in the Womb

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic Fetal Center repaired a spina bifida birth defect on a 23-week-old fetus while the baby was still in the womb. Spina bifida can cause brain damage and affect a child's ability to walk and go to the bathroom, and surgery is usually performed after birth. But thanks to advances in medicine, fetal surgery can now repair the defect before a baby is born. After undergoing the operation in February, the baby was born on June 3, and both mom and baby are doing well.