Delayed cauda equina reconstruction in meningomyelocele: preliminary report.

Infants afflicted with meningomyelocele are paralyzed as a result of the physiological disconnection of the neural plate from the spinal cord. Intact neural elements within the placode often maintain segmental reflex innervation of the paralyzed lower extremity muscles. It was hypothesized that bridging this central-peripheral gap with vaible intercostal nerves would restore limited voluntary movement to the paralyzed muscles. This procedure has been performed on four infants and seems promising.