08/20/2026
Myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida, can cause lifelong neurological and mobility challenges, but fetal myelomeningocele (MMC) repair offers the opportunity to improve outcomes before birth. As this groundbreaking procedure continues to evolve, a small group of surgeons and multidisciplinary teams are helping define best practices for this highly specialized field. Among them is Charles B. Stevenson, MD, chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Riley Children's Health, who has performed over 200 fetal MMC repairs.
As a highly specialized in-utero intervention, fetal MMC repair requires expertise across fetal surgery, anesthesia, maternal-fetal medicine, and pediatric neurosurgery. Performed before birth to close the neural tube defect and protect the developing spinal cord, the procedure has been shown in the landmark MOMS trial to improve mobility outcomes and reduce the need for hydrocephalus treatment in appropriately selected patients. Riley Children's Health is Indiana's only hospital offering fetal myelomeningocele repair and is among a select few centers nationally performing the mini-laparotomy/percutaneous fetoscopic approach, which uses a small maternal incision to reduce risks to both mother and baby compared with traditional open fetal surgery and other fetoscopic techniques.
In March 2026, Stevenson served as co-director and instructor for the 5th Annual International Prenatal Spina Bifida Course at Jesús Usón Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre (JUMISC) in Cáceres, Spain. The course brought together fetal surgery specialists, pediatric neurosurgeons and multidisciplinary teams from across North and South America and Europe to learn advanced techniques in prenatal spina bifida repair, including fetoscopic approaches to fetal MMC closure. Stevenson and collaborators have shared their techniques with more than 20 visiting teams from over 12 different countries and institutions between 2020 and 2026. This ongoing educational effort highlights the importance of collaboration in a field where experience remains concentrated among a limited number of centers worldwide.
At the international course, which is held annually in the spring, Stevenson delivers multiple educational sessions, including presentations on phases of counseling for Fetal MMC Repair, neurosurgical concepts underlying open and endoscopic fetal MMC repair, and neurosurgical management of newborns following prenatal MMC repair. In addition to formal lectures, the course incorporates extensive hands-on surgical education and multidisciplinary discussion designed to help teams build or refine fetal spina bifida programs at their home institutions.
"One of the most meaningful ways to advance patient care and children’s health is to share knowledge and help other teams develop expertise," Stevenson said. "Every opportunity to train and collaborate with physicians from across the globe ultimately expands access to specialized care for children and families worldwide."
In addition to his international educational leadership, Stevenson was selected as an invited lecturer at the 2026 Southern Neurosurgical Society Annual Meeting, discussing fetal neurosurgery in a panel on innovations in pediatric neurosurgery. Together, these national and international engagements reflect Riley Children's role as both a destination for highly specialized fetal MMC care and a leader in advancing fetal and pediatric neurosurgery through education, collaboration and innovation.
Learn more about the Riley Children’s Health neurosurgery program, research, and clinical breakthroughs in the annual report.
