What is spina bifida Myeloschisis?
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.
What is spina bifida simple definition?
Spina bifida is a condition that affects the spine and is usually apparent at birth. It is a type of neural tube defect (NTD). Spina bifida can happen anywhere along the spine if the neural tube does not close all the way.
How does spina bifida affect you socially?
Individuals with spina bifida often experience difficulties with personal and social issues. Some families in the study reported their children who are age five years and younger encounter challenges with isolation, exclusion, and poor social skills.
What causes Myeloschisis?
These malformations are caused by failure of the vertebral arches to develop. They are often associated with neural tube malformations and include a meningocele or meningomyelocele with spina bifida and myeloschisis with rachischisis.
What is Myelocele?
In myelocele, the spinal cord is exposed so that nerve tissue lies exposed on the surface of the back without even a covering of skin or of the meninges, the membranous tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
What is the main cause of spina bifida?
Doctors aren’t certain what causes spina bifida. It’s thought to result from a combination of genetic, nutritional and environmental risk factors, such as a family history of neural tube defects and folate (vitamin B-9) deficiency.
What are the complications of spina bifida?
Complications of spina bifida may include:
- Traumatic birth and difficult delivery of the baby.
- Frequent urinary tract infections.
- Fluid buildup on the brain (hydrocephalus)
- Loss of bowel or bladder control.
- Brain infection (meningitis)
- Permanent weakness or paralysis of legs.
How does spina bifida affect daily life?
Mental Health and Well-Being To be at their best, people need to feel good about their lives and value themselves. Young adults with spina bifida might feel isolated from others, or have low self-esteem. This can cause them to become depressed. There are different ways to treat depression.
What are the challenges of living with spina bifida?
Walking can be difficult for some people with spina bifida. The paralysis that comes with spina bifida means that some people with the condition have difficulty walking, and they may not be able to feel cuts and sores. Some people with spina bifida use braces, crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs.
What is Lipomyelomeningocele?
A lipomyelomeningocele (pronounced lipo-my-elo-men-IN-go-seal) is a birth defect that affects a child’s backbone (spine). A lipomyelomeningocele is a fatty mass under the skin on the child’s back. It is usually in the middle of the back. The mass attaches to the spinal cord and may slowly pull on the cord.
What does it mean to have spina bifida?
Spina bifida is a type of neural tube defect / spinal dysraphism which can occur to varying degrees of severity. It is often considered the most common congenital CNS malformation. Spina bifida in its strictest sense means defective fusion of the vertebral posterior elements, leading to a bifid osseous configuration of the spine 16.
How does a myeloschisis affect the spinal cord?
Myeloschisis is, by definition, failure of the neural tube to close and usually involves a number of adjacent spinal cord segments. For this to occur the skin ectoderm remains attached to the borders of the neural plate, which prevents any vertebral arches from forming and results in a rachischisis ( Fig. 3.64 ).
How does meningocele affect people with spina bifida?
People with this type of spina bifida may have weakness of the legs and trouble with bowel and bladder control. These issues may change or progress as children grow. It is important to have close follow-up with doctors to minimize these changes as much as possible. Meningocele occurs when a sac of spinal fluid pokes through the spine.
What happens when CSF escapes from spina bifida?
These forms of spina bifida are oftentimes accompanied by a condition known as Arnold Chiari II Malformation, or herniation of the hindbrain ( brain stem ). When cerebral spinal fluid ( CSF) escapes from the open spinal defect, it causes the hindbrain to descend into the spinal canal.