1. Do all open spina bifida require surgery and are there any conservative treatments? Open spina bifida mainly refers to the fact that the spinal canal is not closed at all after birth, the skin, soft tissues and vertebral plates are missing, and the spinal cord is directly exposed, this condition is the most serious in spina bifida, and most of the nerve damage is serious, so surgery is necessary as soon as possible. 2. When is the best time to operate for open spina bifida? Open spina bifida should be operated on immediately after birth in a hospital where it is possible to restore the local anatomy and protect the spinal cord nerve tissue as much as possible. 3.What will happen if the patient misses the best time for treatment? Can it be cured again? If the best treatment time is missed, serious cases can lead to death due to meningitis caused by bacteria invading into the spinal canal cavity, and even if the patient survives, severe paralysis of the lower limbs and urinary and bowel dysfunction can result. 4. How is open spina bifida surgery done? Surgery for open spina bifida is not complicated, but because it is a newborn, it requires a high level of surgical skill and must be performed in a specialized facility. The surgery mainly involves removing the necrotic tissue around the exsanguinated spinal cord, exposing the spinal cord back into the spinal canal cavity, loosening the spinal cord tethering, and repairing the dura mater as well as the subcutaneous tissue and skin. 5.Do I need general anesthesia for spina bifida surgery? What are the risks associated with general anesthesia when the child is too young? Does the anesthetic medication affect the child’s growth and development? Spina bifida surgery requires general anesthesia for both children and adults. The risk of anesthesia is related to the age of the child, but our children’s specialty hospitals have long experience in treating children with spina bifida, so the incidence of anesthesia accidents is minimal. Parents can rest assured that the anesthetic drugs have no effect on the growth and development of the child. 6.What effect can the surgery achieve? Can it be cured? The surgery can stop the further development of the nerve damage and restore some of the functions. Whether or not the nerve damage can be completely restored as normal depends largely on the function before the surgery. This is why early surgery is recommended, because once the symptoms of neurological impairment appear, then the possibility of cure is greatly reduced. 7.After spina bifida surgery, will the patient’s back pain and urinary incontinence get better? How long does it take to get better? After spina bifida surgery, the recovery of symptoms varies depending on the severity of the condition. For milder symptoms, most of the back pain, urinary incontinence and constipation will improve, while for heavy symptoms, recovery is more difficult. 8.Does the patient need bowel function training after surgery? The specific training methods need to be carried out according to the severity of the disease, and especially serious cases need special rehabilitation guidance, and even need to go to a special rehabilitation center for rehabilitation.