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Fetal neurosurgery: current state of the art

    Payam Saadai

    Fetal Treatment Center, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, 513 Parnassus Ave, HSW-1601, Box 0570, San Francisco, CA 94143-0570, USA

    ,
    Timothy Runyon

    Fetal Treatment Center, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, 513 Parnassus Ave, HSW-1601, Box 0570, San Francisco, CA 94143-0570, USA

    &
    Published Online:https://doi.org/10.2217/fnl.11.3

    Congenital CNS abnormalities have been targets for prenatal intervention since the founding of fetal surgery 30 years ago, but with historically variable results. Open fetal neurosurgery for myelomenigocele has demonstrated the most promising results of any CNS malformation. Improvements in the understanding of congenital diseases and in fetal surgical techniques have reopened the door to applying fetal surgery to other congenital CNS abnormalities. Advances in gene therapy, bioengineering and neonatal neuroprotection will aid in the future expansion of fetal neurosurgery to other CNS disorders.

    Papers of special note have been highlighted as: ▪ of interest ▪▪ of considerable interest

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