Schenone, Mauro H.

Fetal repair of myelomeningocele remains an effective intervention to decrease hindbrain herniation and reduce the need for postnatal CSF shunting. Effectiveness depends on a watertight closure; however, there are challenges to achieving such. Often, a separate, watertight dural closure is difficult due to the thinness and fragility of the dural membrane. This video demonstrates the approach utilizing a previously described myofascial rotation of the bilateral paraspinal muscles to construct a robust closure even without the need for a separate dural closure or patch reinforcement. This method has been associated with improved primary closure rates and fewer postnatal procedures. The video can be found here: https://stream.cadmore.media/r10.3171/2026.1.FOCVID25235