Spina Bifida is one of the most common birth defects in the world. According to N. Scott Adzick, MD, and other members of CHOP’s Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment team, it occurs when the spinal cord does not properly close before birth. That means that the spinal cord is exposed to amniotic fluid during fetal life. Amniotic fluid is the watery fluid within the innermost membrane that encloses the embryo and surrounds the fetus throughout pregnancy.
Amniotic fluid is also what cushions the fetus protecting it from injury, providing freedom of fetal movements, helping maintain the fetal oxygen supply and helping stabilize temperature. The composition of the fluid changes over the course of gestation. Initially, amniotic fluid is similar to maternal plasma. In addition to providing the fetus with physical protection, as the fetus develops, phospholipids originating from the lungs, fetal cells, and urine are deposited in this fluid. Amniotic fluid itself is clear.
Diana Farmer, MD, Division Chief of UCSF Pediatric Surgery and Professor of Clinical Surgery for the UCSF Fetal Treatment Center says “We know that exposure to amniotic fluid can cause further damage to the spinal cord. So our goal is to try to treat these fetuses before birth so that we can improve the outcome for babies with Spina Bifida. ” Spina bifida is the most common debilitating birth defect in the United States, affecting more than 3,000 families each year. Myelomeningocele is a birth defect in which the backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth. The condition is a type of Spina bifida.
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Normally, during the first month of a pregnancy, the two sides of the spine (or backbone) join together to cover the spinal cord, spinal nerves and meninges (the tissues covering the spinal cord).
Spina bifida refers to any birth defect involving incomplete closure of the spine. Myelomeningocele is the most common type of Spina Bifida. It is a neural tube defect in which the bones of the spine do not completely form, resulting in an incomplete spinal canal. This causes the spinal cord and meninges (the tissues covering the spinal cord) to stick out of the child’s back.
Spina bifida is a birth defect that involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord or its coverings. The term Spina Bifida comes from Latin and literally means “split” or “open” spine. The first stages of Spina Bifida occur in the first two to three weeks after conception, before the mother knows she is pregnant. The defect can occur anywhere along the length of the spine, but most commonly occurs in the lower back. The severity of the defect varies greatly from one individual to another ranging from no noticeable impact to severe paralysis and loss of sensation.
Lesions higher in the spinal column result in more weakness of the trunk and possibly the arms as well as the legs. Because the nerves that control the valve and bladder are located on the lowest part of the spine the function of those organs will likely be compromised in all clinically significant cases. Myelomeningocele the most common type of Spina bifida presents as a sac of exposed menages of spinal cord membrane is coverings frequently containing parts of the spinal cord and the nerves attached to it.
When a baby is born with this condition it is critical to surgically repair the defect and cover the lesion with skin within the first twenty-four to seventy-two hours after birth to prevent infection in the nervous system and further nerve damage. Eighty percent of children born with Myelomeningocele will also have hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus occurs when the cerebral spinal fluid is obstructed or blocked and then pressure from that fluid may build in the ventricular system causing the brain and skull to expand.
The Essay on Spinal Bifida A Multidisciplinary Prospective
In this article it explains the different effects of spinal bifida within different domains , with an effort to promote awareness and different treatments. This article also focuses on treatment statigies and that can help with the developmental disabilities associated with Spinal Bifida. Since spinal Bifida can be diagnosed before birth, treatments also begin when the fetus is enurtero and ...
It is typically treated by a surgical insertion of a shunt to allow the fluid to flow out from the brain. It is important to know that each child born with Spina Bifida is unique and will have different degrees of clinical symptoms and functional limitations. With the appropriate medical, rehabilitation, guidance, and encouragement many individuals with Spina Bifida may live productive and fulfilling lives. Work cited “Success of Spina Bifida: Study Opens Fetal Surgery Door” The New York Times 9 February. 2011. Search Health. Pam Belluck. July 22, 2012.
