Spina Bifida fact sheet

General Information: Spina bifida means cleft spine, or an incomplete closure in the spinal column.

There are three types of spina bifida, which range from mild to severe:

• Occulta, the mildest form of the condition, usually does not exhibit symptoms. It is characterized by a small cleft or opening in one or more vertebrae of the spinal column without apparent damage to the spinal cord.
• Meiningocele is the rarest form of spina bifida. In this case, the meninges, or protective covering around the spinal cord, pushes through the open part of the spine in a sac called the “meningocele,” leaving the spinal cord intact. The cyst formed, which varies in size, can be removed by surgery with little or no damage to the nerve pathways, allowing for “normal development.”
• Myelomeningocele is the most severe form of spina bifida, and the term often is used interchangeably with “spina bifida.” It occurs when a cyst holding nerve roots of the spinal cord, and often the cord itself, protrudes through the back. In some cases, tissues and nerves are not covered with skin, leaving a fully exposed section of the spinal cord.  

Incidence:

• 95 percent of babies with spina bifida are born to parents with no family history.
• Approximately one of every 1,000 live births are affected with the disorder.
• Of those babies born with spina bifida, approximately 4 percent have the Meningocele form while 96 percent have the Myelomeningocele form.
• The disorder is more common among white women than black women and more common among Hispanic women than non-Hispanic women.  

Characteristics:

• A condition called hydrocephalus, fluid in the brain, occurs in 70 to 90 percent of children with Myelomeningocele. This condition prohibits the fluid around the brain from draining properly, which then causes the head to enlarge due to fluidcollecting in and around the brain.
• Muscle weakness or paralysis below the cleft (or incomplete spinal closure)
• Loss of sensation below the cleft
• Loss of bowel/bladder control
• Hydrocephalus
• Without treatment, developmental disabilities and other neurological damage may result.

Treatment:

• Spina bifida occulta usually requires no treatment.
• Spina bifida meningocele can be repaired surgically.
• Spina bifida myelomeningocele is usually operated on within 24 to 48 hours with a procedure called “shunting,” which relieves the fluid that has built up in the brain. The spinal cord is surgically released, replaced in the spinal canal and covered with muscle and skin. Prompt surgery helps prevent additional nerve damage, however nerve damage that has already occurred cannot be reversed.

Additional Information:

Web sites

www.sbaa.org

www.nichcy.org

www.easter-seals.org

www.modimes.org

www.naric.com

www.cdc.gov