Sedated MRI Results
Yesterday morning Kennedy had her second sedated MRI in six months. The results of her sedated MRI in December showed she had 3 dermoid cysts on her spine. After her rapid MRI in February, Dr. Stevenson said he wanted to have another sedated MRI to determine if these cysts were growing. Each of them has grown 2-4 mm's since December. Right now they aren't causing any problems, but Dr. Stevenson wants to have them taken out before they do become a problem. He's afraid if we wait more than 6 months they will eventually start pushing on Kennedy's spinal chord and cause her to lose mobility in her legs. I asked him if we could wait to see what the upcoming December sedated MRI would show in growth. He told me he'd like that MRI to be a post-op one to make sure everything looks as it should.
While Dr. Stevenson is removing the cysts, he will also be detethering Kennedy's spinal chord. Normally the spinal chord freely moves through the spinal column. When a child has Spina Bifida the chord becomes attached to the spinal column. Surgery is needed to release the chord to prevent discomfort and to allow for the child to grow without stretching the spinal chord. Although it's not true in every case, there are many cases where kids lose bowel and bladder function after having a detethering surgery. I am praying that Kennedy does not have this side effect from the surgery. At 18 months old, we've been very blessed to not have to intervene with these functions. Many children require cathing and enemas to keep their bladder and bowels in good standing. After Dr. Stevenson has completed his portion of the surgery he's going to have a plastic surgeon step in to clean up Kennedy's fetal surgery repair site. Jokingly I thanked him for this because she still has dirty diapers that require us to clean out every crevice of her repair site.
Something else that I learned during this visit is that I was incorrect about Kennedy's lesion level. I had always thought she was an L4/L5-S2 baby. Her lesion is actually L2/L3-S2. According to Dr. Stevenson this means her mobility and function is that much more amazing. The higher the lesion level, the less likely a child will have feeling in their legs, much less mobility.
Looking into the next few months I have made some decisions about when I'd like to schedule the surgery. There are many things that we have to factor in before we make a decision. As soon as the date is set, we will be sure to let everyone know. Thank you to everyone who has prayed and followed Kennedy's amazing progress. Without all of your unconditional support, I'm not sure how we would have made it.
While Dr. Stevenson is removing the cysts, he will also be detethering Kennedy's spinal chord. Normally the spinal chord freely moves through the spinal column. When a child has Spina Bifida the chord becomes attached to the spinal column. Surgery is needed to release the chord to prevent discomfort and to allow for the child to grow without stretching the spinal chord. Although it's not true in every case, there are many cases where kids lose bowel and bladder function after having a detethering surgery. I am praying that Kennedy does not have this side effect from the surgery. At 18 months old, we've been very blessed to not have to intervene with these functions. Many children require cathing and enemas to keep their bladder and bowels in good standing. After Dr. Stevenson has completed his portion of the surgery he's going to have a plastic surgeon step in to clean up Kennedy's fetal surgery repair site. Jokingly I thanked him for this because she still has dirty diapers that require us to clean out every crevice of her repair site.
Something else that I learned during this visit is that I was incorrect about Kennedy's lesion level. I had always thought she was an L4/L5-S2 baby. Her lesion is actually L2/L3-S2. According to Dr. Stevenson this means her mobility and function is that much more amazing. The higher the lesion level, the less likely a child will have feeling in their legs, much less mobility.
Looking into the next few months I have made some decisions about when I'd like to schedule the surgery. There are many things that we have to factor in before we make a decision. As soon as the date is set, we will be sure to let everyone know. Thank you to everyone who has prayed and followed Kennedy's amazing progress. Without all of your unconditional support, I'm not sure how we would have made it.
2 of the 3 cysts
The largest of the cysts looking up her spine from her bottom. The black triangle is her spinal chord.
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