The effects of labor and delivery on spinal cord function and ambulation in patients with meningomyelocele.

Two hundred and eight patients with meningomyeloceles were reviewed to assess the role of birth trauma in the pathogenesis of their neurological deficit. Vaginal breech-delivered patients appeared to have poorer neurological function in the newborn period. The factors responsible include: (1) a mid or upper lumbar level, that by sparing hip flexors and knee extensors, predisposes to breech presentation; (2) limb posturing due to residual neurological function and intrauterine positioning that limits the accurate neurological assessment of the newborn; (3) nervous system or soft tissue injury due to labor and delivery. Regardless of the mechanism, vaginal breech-delivered patients showed improvement in function, and eventually exhibited ambulatory function comparable to those infants born by cesarian section or vaginally after vertex presentation and labor. In our patient population, elective cesarian section did not offer a spinal cord or ambulatory advantage over vaginal delivery for those pregnancies presenting in a vertex fashion. Thus, it should be reserved for fetuses who are presenting breech or who have other obstetrical indications for operative delivery.