AIIMS Delhi performs India’s first open fetal surgery
Babushahi Bureau/AIR
New Delhi, November 15, 2026: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has performed India’s first open fetal surgery to repair a severe spinal defect in an unborn baby at 25 weeks of pregnancy.
The six-hour operation involved repairing a lumbosacral myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida, a birth defect in which the spinal cord and its protective coverings protrude through an opening in the spine. The procedure was performed while the baby was still in the womb, allowing doctors to repair the defect before birth.
The condition involves an opening in the lower part of the spine through which cerebrospinal fluid can leak. The surgery aimed to repair the defect in utero, potentially reducing complications associated with the condition.
Myelomeningocele is an open neural tube defect that develops when the neural tube does not close completely during early pregnancy.