Research has shown that 400 mcg of folic acid taken daily prior to conception and in the first three months of pregnancy can reduce the risk of having a baby with Spina Bifida by as much as 70%. The SVF organizes tours across America's High Schools and Colleges to educate young girls about their responsibility to add folic acid to their diet.

Surgical Studies and Research

The Xiao Procedure

For the past three years, healthcare professionals and health-related organizations have been watching progress in a nerve rerouting surgical intervention being researched and developed by a Chinese urologist, Dr. Chuan-Guo Xiao.

Dr. Xiao is a professor and Chairman of the Department of Urology at Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College in the People's Republic of China.

From research beginning in the 1980s, Dr. Xiao has developed a nerve rerouting surgical procedure which has been reported to be effective for some children with spina bifida.

This procedure involves surgical rerouting of lumbar to sacral nerves in the spine. Its goal is to provide a new pathway for voluntary stimulation of the bladder.

The Xiao Procedure holds the promise that children with spina bifida will be able to self-initiate bladder and bowel functions - eliminating the life-long need for catheterization and the use of diapers to guard against accidents.

If successful, this procedure has the potential to reduce barriers to socialization, increase self-esteem and help improve family dynamics for children with spina bifida.

In 2007, Dr. Xiao supervised urologists at Beaumont Hospital in Michigan to perform a surgical trial involving nine children with spina bifida.

Later this year, neurosurgeons and urologists from Atlanta will travel to China to train with Dr. Xiao. In early 2009, the surgical team will conduct a surgical trial of the Xiao Procedure in Atlanta.

A surgical trial of the Xiao Procedure in Atlanta

The Xiao Procedure will be performed in Atlanta by pediatric neurosurgeons assisted by pediatric urologists. The SOPHIE'S VOICE FOUNDATION is seeking to raise $1.88 million for Phase One of the surgical study, which will include 20 children with Spina Bifida.