Tissue expansion for the treatment of myelomeningocele. Case report.

A baby boy who had been born with a large myelomeningocele had a ventriculoperitoneal shunt inserted at the age of 6 months. Two months later it was revised, after which he developed satisfactorily both mentally and physically. He presented at the age of 13 months because the epithelialisation of the myelomeningocele was both fragile and incomplete. Enough soft tissue was obtained to cover the defect, which was 13 x 10 cm, by the use of two 600 ml expanders placed subcutaneously one on either side of the deformity.