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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffSpina bifida is part of a group of birth defects called neural tube defects. The neural tube is the embryonic structure that eventually develops into the baby's brain and spinal cord and the tissues that enclose them.
Normally, the neural tube forms early in the pregnancy and closes by the 28th day after conception. In babies with spina bifida, a portion of the neural tube fails to develop or close properly, causing defects in the spinal cord and in the bones of the backbone.
Spina bifida occurs in various forms of severity. When treatment for spina bifida is necessary, it's done through surgery, although such treatment doesn't always completely resolve the problem.
- Spina bifida fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/spina_bifida/detail_spina_bifida.htm. Accessed June 28, 2011.
- Lightner DD. Spina Bifida. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2012: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05611-3..00028-8--sc29020&isbn=978-0-323-05611-3&sid=1180550958&uniqId=266655520-3#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05611-3..00028-8--sc29020
- Spina bifida. March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/4439_1224.asp. Accessed June 27, 2011.
- Sandler AD. Children with spina bifida: Key clinical issues. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2010;57:879.
- Folic acid: Questions and Answers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/folicacid/faqs.html. Accessed June 29, 2011.
- Spina bifida. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/spinabifida/facts.html. Accessed June 30, 2011.
- Hochberg L. Prenatal screening and diagnosis of neural tube defects. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 30, 2011.
- Routine tests in pregnancy. American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp133.cfm. Accessed June 30, 2011.
- Adzick NS, et al. A randomized trial of prenatal versus postnatal repair of myelomeningocele. New England Journal of Medicine. 2011;364:993.
- Surgery on fetus reduces complications of spina bifida. National Institutes of Health. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/020911-MOMS.cfm?renderforprint=1. Accessed June 30, 2011.
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