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Physiotherapy => Ultrasound => Spina Bifida
Spina Bifida
Spina Bifida, or "divided spine," birth defect in which there is defective closure of the vertebral column during prenatal development. The severity of this disorder varies from a mild type (spina bifida occulta), where there is almost no sign of abnormality, to extreme cases involving a completely open spine and severe neurological disability. Part of the spinal cord and its membranes may protrude within a fragile sac. Hydrocephalus (excess cerebrospinal fluid in the cranial cavity) is frequently associated with the condition. In the United States, spina bifida affects about 5 percent of the population. Surgical treatment is required for all but the mildest cases. If not surgically treated, affected infants die of infection or are severely disabled; even with surgery and therapy, many of these children remain physically and often mentally handicapped. Supplemental intake of folic acid by pregnant women during the first six weeks of pregnancy reduces the risk of spina bifida in the fetus. An open spina bifida leads to increased levels of alphafetoprotein during pregnancy, which may be detected by amniocentesis or a maternal blood test.
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