Unborn baby’s spine op is a first for Africa

A 25-week-old unborn Johannesburg baby has become the first foetus in Africa to receive anaesthetic and undergo groundbreaking “keyhole” surgery to the spine.

The four-hour procedure, which involved removing the womb and resting it on the mother’s skin, was performed by a team led by US Baylor College of Medicine professor Mike Belfort, who was born and trained in SA.

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