KUCHING: Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) became the first in Malaysia to successfully perform an intrauterine surgery for spina bifida.
The historic procedure was conducted on Sept 22 on a foetus at 26 weeks of pregnancy, with the mother referred from Kuantan.
It involved repairing an open spinal defect called myelomeningocele, a delicate operation usually carried out between 19 and 26 weeks of gestation.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian congratulated SGH for the achievement, saying it represented a milestone in Malaysia’s medical landscape.
“Heartiest congratulations to Sarawak General Hospital performing the first in Malaysia — an intrauterine operation for spina bifida.
“The mother and the unborn baby are recovering well from surgery. We pray for a successful delivery at term,” he said in a Facebook statement.
The surgery was led by Dr Tan Lee Na (Maternal Fetal Medicine), Dr Low Peh Hueh (Neurosurgery), Dr Teo Shu Ching (Anaesthesiology) and Dr Amita (Neonatology).
They were supervised by Professor Dr Sailesh Kumar, Dr Amelia Jardim and Dr Aled Hapgood from Australia, who guided the local team during the procedure.
Dr Sim, who is the Public Health, Housing and Local Government minister, said the SGH specialists had earlier trained in Brisbane last year to prepare for this type of fetal myelomeningocele repair.
He added the complex operation required extensive preparation and involved contributions from every level of staff at SGH.
“The team was assisted by many enthusiastic doctors, dedicated nurses, assistant medical officers, and support staff.
“This included concessionaire representatives who ensured the facility was ready for such a highly specialised surgery,” he added.
