Dell Children’s Medical Center announces a historic milestone in pediatric fetal surgery for Austin and Central Texas, performing the region’s first in utero neural tube defect surgery treating myelomeningocele, the most severe form of spina bifida. The landmark procedure was led by Alireza Shamshirsaz, M.D., a nationally recognized fetal surgeon who joined Dell Children’s and Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin earlier this year.
The surgery was performed through the Comprehensive Fetal Care Center — a clinical partnership between the two institutions that is expanding access to advanced fetal care for families across Texas and beyond. With this milestone, Dell Children's joins a small number of comprehensive children’s hospitals capable of performing this highly specialized procedure.
“In utero surgery allows us to intervene during a critical window of development to treat severe fetal conditions,” said Shamshirsaz. “Bringing this highly specialized procedure to Central Texas means we are expanding access to complex fetal care for families across Texas and throughout the country. We are dedicated to providing expecting parents with compassionate, comprehensive treatment options for the most complex fetal conditions.”
Myelomeningocele is a condition where the spinal canal fails to close during pregnancy. In utero surgery opens the mother’s abdomen and uterus to repair the baby’s spinal cord before birth, helping to reduce ongoing spinal cord injury as the baby develops.
Early repair helps preserve motor function and reduces complications like Chiari II malformation and the need for ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement. Following diagnosis via second-trimester ultrasounds and fetal MRI, a personalized care plan is created to ensure a safe, successful outcome.
Shamshirsaz is Director of the Comprehensive Fetal Care Center Chief of the Division of Maternal–Fetal Medicine and Surgery at Dell Children’s. He is also a professor in the Department of Women’s Health at Dell Medical School,where he serves as inaugural chief of the Division of Fetal Medicine and Therapy. His expertise spans advanced fetal interventions, placenta accreta spectrum disorders, and complex monochorionic pregnancies.
“This milestone reflects the caliber of physicians we're bringing to Austin and the impact they're having on patient care,” said Claudia Lucchinetti, M.D., executive vice president for medical affairs at UT Austin and dean of Dell Medical School. “Dr. Shamshirsaz’s achievement is a compelling example of how academic medicine can elevate the level of care in a community, bringing the expertise needed to perform extraordinarily complex surgical procedures.”
With Austin’s central location, Dell Children’s is uniquely positioned to serve not only local families, but also patients from across the country seeking this highly specialized treatment. Through continued investment in innovation and collaboration, the multidisciplinary team from the Comprehensive Fetal Care Center at Dell Children’s—including experts across maternal-fetal medicine, fetal intervention, neurosurgery, neonatology, radiology, and support services—collaborated to deliver seamless support for the procedure as part of this program.
Dell Children's Medical Center continues its commitment to delivering comprehensive care, ensuring that children in the community have access to the most advanced treatments right where they need them most – close to home. The hospital was recently ranked in six specialty areas in the U.S. News & World Report's 2026-2027 Best Children's Hospitals list.
