Spina bifida, also known as myelomeningocele, is a birth defect that occurs when an area of an unborn baby’s spine does not form properly in the womb, exposing a section of the spinal cord and spinal nerves. This results in damage to the baby’s nervous system. It is the most common neural tube defect in the United States, affecting approximately 2,000 babies born in the country each year.
Traditionally, infants with spina bifida have surgery shortly after birth to repair the spinal defect. Today, repairing the spina bifida before birth, otherwise known as maternal-fetal surgery or in utero repair, is considered an effective treatment option to potentially reduce the risk of complications and improve the outcome in babies affected with spina bifida.
Women with pregnancies complicated by fetal myelomeningocele who meet established criteria for in utero repair should be counseled in a nondirective fashion regarding all management options, including the possibility of open maternal–fetal surgery. Maternal–fetal surgery for myelomeningocele repair should be offered only to carefully selected patients at facilities with an appropriate level of personnel and resources.
Spina bifida (myelomeningocele) is characterized by the abnormal development of the fetal spinal cord and/or meninges, the protective covering around the brain and spinal cord, during early pregnancy. When the neural tube, which forms the brain and spinal cord, does not close completely during fetal development, the malformed vertebrae (bones) in the backbone remain open allowing exposure of the spinal cord and spinal nerves, resulting in damage to the baby’s nervous system.
This neural tube defect can occur anywhere along the spinal column, and the severity of the neurological problems is often dependent on the location of the defect. Children with defects of the lower spine typically have better outcomes than those who have defects of the upper spine. The symptoms of spina bifida might cause disabilities that range from mild conditions such as difficulty walking to complete paralysis and impaired bladder and bowel function.
There are several types or variations of spina bifida. These variations depend on how the neural tube defect develops, what is protruding through the open neural tube, and what is covering the spina bifida abnormality. These variations include:
Myeloschisis is a flat neural tube defect without a layer of skin covering the opening in the spine. With myeloschisis, the spinal cord and the surrounding nerve tissue are also exposed to the amniotic fluid. This form of spina bifida has similar risks and symptoms as myelomeningocele.
MMC and myeloschisis are both open neural tube defects, which are treatable by fetal repair surgery.
In most cases, the causes of spina bifida are unknown, though it has been associated with maternal diabetes, certain medications and certain genetic problems. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention urges all women capable of becoming pregnant to take 400 micrograms or more of folic acid every day for at least three months prior to pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects.
While the symptoms of spina bifida can range from mild to severe, most children with spina bifida experience major disabilities throughout their lifetime. These include: neuromuscular issues; paralysis of the lower limbs, or the inability to walk; bowel and bladder control difficulties; brain abnormalities such as brain herniation; and learning disabilities.
Spina bifida can be diagnosed during pregnancy. A common blood test, maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), is offered during the 15th to 20th week of pregnancy to screen for spina bifida. If the levels of alpha-fetoprotein are abnormal (elevated), doctors can use additional tests, such as ultrasound and amniocentesis, to diagnose spina bifida. Use of the AFP test along with an ultrasound typically identifies 90% of cases.
If it is determined that the unborn baby has spina bifida, both mom and baby should be referred to a high-risk pregnancy specialist for further evaluation. A series of ultrasounds will be performed throughout pregnancy to monitor the baby’s progress. A chromosomal analysis may be recommended to identify chromosomal abnormalities. Other tests, including a fetal MRI or fetal echocardiogram, may be recommended if other abnormalities are suspected. A pediatric neurosurgeon will evaluate the prenatal tests and discuss neonatal care and long-term outcome.
January 4, 2023
"The ultrasound showed the ventricles in my baby’s brain were enlarged,” said Courtney. “Concerned he might have hydrocephalus, my OB-GYN sent me to a maternal-fetal medicine specialist in town.” A few days later, Courtney met with her family friend and MFM physician, Dr. ...
October 28, 2022
A few weeks later, Sarah returned to her OB-GYN for another anatomy ultrasound. As the ultrasound technician glided the probe on Sarah’s growing belly, she noticed something unusual on the monitor. “The ultrasound showed Wyatt had fluid in his brain,” said Sarah.
October 17, 2022
Their baby had spina bifida. A portion of her lower spinal cord was exposed. The long-term effects could be seizures, bowel and bladder control issues, and difficulty walking. She might also need a special shunt to regulate her brain’s fluid levels.
April 28, 2021
Hailee Nail learned her baby had spina bifida on Aug. 13, 2020, when she saw her obstetrician in Tulsa, Okla., for her 20-week anatomy scan. “My OB/GYN told me that it would require surgery and gave me the names of several centers, but he wanted me to go to Houston,” she says.
August 7, 2018
When Natalie’s unborn baby daughter, Mila Grace, was diagnosed with spina bifida in utero, Natalie and her husband, Kevin, were stunned. After a routine ultrasound done just a week earlier, her obstetrician suspected that one of Mila Grace’s feet was clubbed and referred Natalie to a ...
January 2, 2018
For many years, Dr. Mary Austin could count on one hand the people who knew. There was her close friend through middle school, who helped her pee by pushing on her lower abdomen. Years later, during her surgical training at Vanderbilt University, she confided in a mentor. Her husband knew, of cou...
October 13, 2017
Picture the bounciest, bubbliest five-year-old you can imagine. Her songs and dance moves come straight from Beyoncé. She loves bright colors and runs to the mirror to check every outfit. Her goal is to be a superstar. And she is a child who was born with spina bifida, one whose immediate future ...
October 16, 2014
Kelly and her husband, Chad, count themselves very lucky. The diagnosis of an open neural tube defect, or myelomeningocele, led them on a journey of education, referral, consultations and, ultimately, to open fetal surgery for spina bifida repair. Spina bifida – a major birth defect involving the...
October 26, 2012
Faith’s story begins before she was born. But unlike others, her history was complicated by a prenatal diagnosis of myelomeningocele – spina bifida – at the age of 20 weeks. A complex and permanently disabling birth defect, spina bifida involves incomplete development of a porti...
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