Dr. Palatnik Speaks at International Conference on Authored Paper in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology

Anna Palatnik, MD, Associate Professor of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, presented her authored paper Mode of Delivery and Motor Function in Infants with Myelomeningocele without In-Utero Repair at the International conference Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

A multisite retrospective cohort study of 14 North American Fetal Therapy Network (NAFTNet) centers. De-identified data of all 2007-2020 MMC births were collected. Inclusion criteria were live singleton gestation with MMC at ≥24 weeks at birth and follow-up neurologic assessment available at two years of age (2y). Exclusion criteria were in-utero MMC repair, postnatal MMC diagnosis, abnormal karyotype, and obstetric contraindications to labor. The primary outcome was the difference between the anatomic level of the spinal lesion and functional motor level in the child at 2y, with a lower functional than anatomic level indicating improved motor function. Secondary outcomes were ambulation (independent, with assistance, or none), shunt-related outcomes (placement/infection/revision), seizures, and neurogenic bladder. A general linear model was used to determine the effect of mode of delivery on the primary outcome. Presence of labor, gestational age at birth, lesion width, length, and origin level, and presence of hydrocephalus were included as potential confounders for the multivariable analyses.