Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of the Study Population.*
| Characteristic | Prenatal Surgery (N = 78) | Postnatal Surgery (N = 80) |
|---|---|---|
| Fetal sex female — no. (%) | 35 (45) | 51 (64) |
| Gestational age at randomization — wk | 23.6±1.4 | 23.9±1.3 |
| Maternal age at screening — yr | 29.3±5.3 | 28.8±4.9 |
| Race or ethnic group — no. (%)† | ||
| White | 73 (94) | 74 (92) |
| Black | 1 (1) | 1 (1) |
| Hispanic | 2 (3) | 4 (5) |
| Other | 2 (3) | 1 (1) |
| Married or living with partner — no. (%) | 73 (94) | 74 (92) |
| Years of schooling — no. | 14.8±1.7 | 15.0±1.6 |
| Body-mass index at trial entry‡ | 26.2±3.7 | 25.9±3.9 |
| Current smoker — no. (%) | 6 (8) | 4 (5) |
| Either parent with familial history of neural-tube defect — no. (%) | 8 (10) | 14 (18) |
| Nullipara — no. (%) | 33 (42) | 36 (45) |
| Previous uterine surgery — no. (%) | 11 (14) | 8 (10) |
| Cervical length — mm | 38.9±7.3 | 39.7±5.7 |
| Anterior placenta — no. (%) | 36 (46) | 32 (40) |
| Lesion level on ultrasonography — no. (%) | ||
| Thoracic | 4 (5) | 3 (4) |
| L1–L2 | 21 (27) | 10 (12) |
| L3–L4 | 30 (38) | 45 (56) |
| L5–S1 | 23 (29) | 22 (28) |
| Lesion level L3 or lower on ultrasonography — no. (%) | 53 (68) | 67 (84) |
| Club foot on ultrasonography — no. (%) | 20 (26) | 15 (19) |
*
Plus–minus values are means ±SD. The only between-group comparisons that were significant were the female sex of the fetus and a lesion level of L3 or lower on ultrasonography (P = 0.02 for both comparisons). Percentages may not total 100 because of rounding.
†
Race or ethnic group was self-reported.
‡
The body-mass index is weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters.