spina bifida

September 1, 2023

Family finds comfort in Spina Bifida Clinic’s compassionate, comprehensive care

Katie and William Vincent knew they wanted to continue their daughter’s spina bifida care where it began as an infant — at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

By Christina Echegaray
May 17, 2021

A child’s beloved stuffed toy was missing. Two Children’s Hospital nurses mounted a midnight expedition to the basement to find Stuart the pink tiger.

Searching dozens of laundry bags in quest of a patient’s pink-and-white companion

By Christina Echegaray
January 24, 2020

Study finds benefits of fetal surgery for spina bifida continue through school age

The benefits of fetal surgery to repair spina bifida, a procedure pioneered at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 1997, continue through school age, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study reports today in the journal Pediatrics.

By VUMC News and Communications
October 8, 2019

Children’s Hospital patient and his grandmother write a book with a message: “I am just like you, but different”

Ryan told his grandmother about the way other people looked at him. She didn’t want him to experience that anymore.

By Jessica Pasley
August 25, 2016

VUMC team helps launch fetal surgery program in Australia

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) made history in 1997 when two surgeons pioneered fetal surgery to treat spina bifida, or myelomeningocele, the most common birth defect in the central nervous system.

By Christina Echegaray
November 5, 2015

VUMC mourns loss of Pediatric Neurosurgery pioneer Tulipan

Noel Tulipan, M.D., renowned neurosurgeon and trailblazer in fetal surgery repair for spina bifida, died Monday after a long illness. He was 64.

By Christina Echegaray
June 11, 2015

Tulipan’s career as ‘humble’ giant of Neurosurgery honored

Noel Tulipan, M.D., has left an indelible mark on many facets of life during his pioneering career at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt — from his impact on the field of neurosurgery and fetal surgery repair; to the children and families he cared for; to the residents he trained; to the operating room team he scrubbed in alongside; to his many friends and colleagues.
By Christina Echegaray
July 18, 2013

Baby’s life-changing surgery, before birth

By VUMC News and Communications
July 18, 2013

Teamwork drives Maternal Fetal Medicine program

When Steffanie and Jon Sawyer were told their unborn son had a spinal birth defect called spina bifida, they decided to travel from their home in the Chicago area to Vanderbilt for fetal surgery.
By VUMC News and Communications
February 9, 2011

Vanderbilt-pioneered fetal surgery procedure yields positive results

Results of a landmark, seven-year National Institutes of Health-funded trial, Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS), demonstrate clear benefit for babies who undergo fetal surgery to treat spina bifida, the most common birth defect in the central nervous system.
By VUMC News and Communications