Dermoid Inclusion Cysts and Early Spinal Cord Tethering after Fetal Surgery for Myelomeningocele

In utero surgery for myelomeningocele has been proposed to reduce neurologic dysfunction that may result from exposure of the spinal cord to amniotic fluid; approximately 220 such surgeries have been performed to date. The authors report on three girls under one year of age who had loss of motor function in the legs or loss of bladder function after in utero repair of myelomeningocele at 22 to 24 weeks of gestation. All three had dermoid cysts with associated spinal cord tethering, which required surgery.