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The following is a summary of “Impact of Prenatal Repair for Fetal Myelomeningocele on Gastrointestinal Function,” published in the April 2025 issue of Journal of Pediatrics by Munoz et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to compare bowel function after different open neural tube defects (ONTD) repairs and evaluated diet and medication use for achieving regularity. 

They performed a retrospective cohort study from 2011–2020 at an academic referral fetal center. Patients were stratified by surgery type: postnatal, open prenatal, or fetoscopic prenatal. Bowel function was assessed using the Bristol stool scale and current medication use. Demographics and clinical outcomes were obtained from electronic records. The primary outcome was bowel function at 30-month follow-up. 

The results showed 150 patients underwent ONTD repair: 48 postnatal (32%), 34 open fetal (23%), and 68 fetoscopic (45%). At 30 months, 86 (57%) had abnormal bowel function. No significant difference was found between surgical approaches (postnatal 35%, open fetal 26%, fetoscopic 49%, P=0.08). The postnatal group had higher oral regimen use (postnatal 83%, open fetal 59%, fetoscopic 69%, P=0.046). 

Investigators found that abnormal bowel function remained common regardless of surgical approach. They observed similar bowel outcomes between fetal and postnatal repairs. 

Source: jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(25)00113-1/abstract