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Spina Bifida

Spina bifida is a common neural tube defect in the U.S., affecting 1,500 to 2,000 babies annually, with varying severity and types including occulta, closed neural tube defects, meningocele, and myelomeningocele. Causes may include low maternal folic acid, genetic issues, or environmental factors, and treatment options range from surgery to physiotherapy, as there is no cure. Long-term effects depend on the severity of the defect, with some individuals experiencing no symptoms while others may face significant mobility and bowel/bladder challenges.

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11 views2 pages

Spina Bifida

Spina bifida is a common neural tube defect in the U.S., affecting 1,500 to 2,000 babies annually, with varying severity and types including occulta, closed neural tube defects, meningocele, and myelomeningocele. Causes may include low maternal folic acid, genetic issues, or environmental factors, and treatment options range from surgery to physiotherapy, as there is no cure. Long-term effects depend on the severity of the defect, with some individuals experiencing no symptoms while others may face significant mobility and bowel/bladder challenges.

Uploaded by

Sophia Bianca Bareng
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Orthopedics

Spina Bifida
Spina bifida is characterized by the incomplete development of closure of the back over the spine and
spinal cord with varying degrees of severity. It is the most common neural tube defect in the United
States—affecting 1,500 to 2,000 of the more than 4 million babies born in the country each year. An
estimated 166,000 individuals with spina bifida live in the United States.

CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS

One possible cause is low folic acid in the mother during pregnancy, but many cases do not have a
known cause. Physicians and researchers suspect genetic issues or other nutritional deficiencies or
environmental factors.

SYMPTOMS AND TYPES

There are 4 types of spina bifida: occulta, closed neural tube defects, meningocele, and
myelomeningocele.

Occulta is the mildest and most common form in which 1 or more vertebrae are malformed. The name
"occulta," which means hidden, indicates that a layer of skin covers the malformation, or opening in the
vertebrae. Frequently this diagnosis is noted on a spine x-ray taken for another issue and found
incidentally. This form of spina bifida, present in 10-20% of the general population, rarely causes disability
or symptoms. In the majority of cases no treatment is needed.

Closed neural tube defects (lipomeningocele) make up the second type of spina bifida. This form
consists of a diverse group of defects in which the spinal cord is marked by malformations of fat, bone,
or meninges (tissue layers that cover the brain and spinal cord). In most instances there are few or no
symptoms; in others the malformation causes incomplete paralysis with urinary and bowel dysfunction.

In the third type (meningocele) spinal fluid and meninges protrude through an abnormal vertebral
opening; the malformation contains no neural elements and may or may not be covered by a layer of
skin. Some individuals with meningocele may have few or no symptoms while others may experience
such symptoms as complete paralysis with bladder and bowel dysfunction.

Myelomeningocele, the fourth form, is the most severe and occurs when the spinal cord/neural
elements are exposed through the opening in the spine, resulting in partial or complete paralysis of the
parts of the body below the spinal opening. The impairment may be so severe that the affected individual
is unable to walk and may have abnormal bladder and bowel dysfunction.

Symptoms are different and vary in severity for each type of spina bifida.
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTS

In most cases, spina bifida is diagnosed prenatally, or before birth. However, some mild cases may go
unnoticed until after birth (postnatal). Very mild forms (spinal bifida occulta), in which there are no
symptoms, may never be detected.

TREATMENT AND CARE

There is no cure for spina bifida because the nerve tissue cannot be replaced or repaired. Treatment for
the variety of effects of spina bifida may include surgery, medication, and physiotherapy. Many individuals
will need assistive devices such as braces, crutches, or wheelchairs.

Ongoing therapy, medical care, and/or surgical treatments may be necessary to prevent and manage
complications throughout the individual's life. Surgery to close the newborn's spinal opening is generally
performed within 24 hours after birth to minimize the risk of infection and to preserve existing function
in the spinal cord.

The Texas Children's Fetal Center also performs some in utero procedures on patients with spina bifida.
Your physicians will discuss if this is an option for you.

LIVING AND MANAGING

The long-term effects of spina bifida depend on the severity of the defect. In some cases, it has no effect
and, in others, patients may not be able to walk or have abnormal bladder or bowel dysfunction.

Need an appointment or have questions?


Call 832-822- 3100 for the Main Campus Clinic and
Health Centers.
For our West Campus location, call 832-227-7678.

Developed by the Division of Orthopedic Surgery.


© 2014, Texas Children’s Hospital. All rights reserved.

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