Recognizing World Spina Bifida Awareness and Hydrocephalus Day

World Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Day is Oct. 25, raising awareness of this birth defect that happens when the neural tube fails to close completely during an embryo’s first few weeks of development.

This year marked a historic first for Indiana when Riley Children’s Health performed the state’s first successful fetal repair of myelomeningocele – a severe form of spina bifida. Dr. Hiba Mustafa, director of fetal surgery at the Riley Fetal Center, performed this groundbreaking procedure alongside Dr. Jason Chu, pediatric neurosurgeon at Riley, through a unique collaboration between maternal-fetal medicine and pediatric neurosurgery.

The Riley Fetal Center could not have opened without donor support like yours. Your generosity helps provide the level of expertise and multidisciplinary collaboration needed to perform complex in-utero procedures like this one.

In recognition of World Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Day, we invite you to listen to Dr. Mustafa join the Get IN. podcast to learn more about her specialized work in fetal surgery and how you can advance this expert care.