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Can a fetus with Spina Bifida with hydrocephelus and split cerebellum live?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
It is going to depend on where the damage lies in the cerebellum, the amount and type of damage from the hydrocephalus and the defects in other organs that are possibly undiagnosed at this time. When a baby presents with such severe defects of one system as these, quite often defects in other systems that make the out look for long term survival poor.
The cerebellum is located just above the brain stem and toward the back of the brain, it plays an important role in the integration of sensory perception, coordination and motor control. Science now knows the cerebellum also has a broader role in a number of key cognitive functions such as, the ability to pay attention, processing language and music and visual stimulation.
There are specialists currently looking for volunteers to participate in on going studies if anyone can give your baby a shot at life, this would be the place.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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What is the LEAST likely to be structurally affected if spina bifida develops in a fetus?
laminae of thoracic vertebrae
Can a fetus with spina bifida have movement?
Yes, Spina Bifida does not cause total body paralysis. Usually the paralysis is only in the feet and sometimes the legs. So the hands and arms will move just like any other baby's.
Does spina bifida affect the brain?
Spina bifida can involve an incomplete development of the brain, caused by the failure of the fetus's spine to close properly during the first month of pregnancy. Some individuals have a learning disability, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Your first child had Spina Bifida could your unborn child have it too?
There is a slight increase of about 3% to 7% over the general population for mothers who have had a child with Spina Bifida to have another child with the defect. This risk can be reduced to 1% by taking folic acid(vitamin D) in prescription strength starting four weeks prior to conception through the first trimester.In the event the fetus does have Spina Bifida taking folic acid will also help reduce the severity of the defect.
Is Spina Bifida inherited or not?
Although doctors are unclear what causes spina bifida, they believe it is a mixture of genetics and environmental factors. Having a parent or sibling with spina bifida slightly increases the chance of a baby being born with a neural tube defect. Most babies with spina bifida are born to parents who have no history of neural tube defects.Folate deficiency (Vitamin B) is a known factor in women giving birth to a baby with a neural tube defect. One of the known preventative measures is to increase the amount of folic acid starting prior to conception. Ask your doctor or midwife if a high dose of folic acid is indicated for you.Spina bifida and other defects can occur before a women knows she is pregnant. Spina Bifida happens in the middle of the 4th week (by day 28) after conception when the two sides of developing fetus fail to develop or close properly, causing defects.A rise in the body temperature of more than four degrees Fahrenheit (2 Celsius) is another known factor in neural tube defects, women who think they may be pregnant are cautioned not to use hot tubs or to soak in a hot bath.Obesity prior to pregnancy and uncontrolled diabetes are another known factor in neural tube defects. As are some prescription medications. Talk to your doctor about any prescription medications you take.We are seeking mothers of children with Spina Bifida to participate in our study:http://www.sbgenetics.org/
What are the chances of having a baby with spina bifida?
It depends on who the particular "you" is. For people who have no family history, the worldwide average is about 0.1 - 0.2%, but for those who do have a family history it can be as high as 3% without folic acid supplementation. In the US, we recommend that all pregnant women, and all women who are considering getting pregnant, take 0.4 mg of folic acid per day. If the woman has a family history of spina bifida or other neural tube defects, we recommend she takes 4 mg per day. This has the effect of lowering the 3% down to 1%.
What is the difference between Spina Bifida and anencephaly?
Anencephaly is when a baby is born with a small or missing brain. Spina Bifida is a birth defect which causes a baby to be born with a hole in the back and/or missing bones (called "spinous processes") in the spine, and the spinal cord and nerves may be seen through a hole in the back or sticking out of the back. It does not cause a small or missing brain.
How does Spina Bifida affect the bladder?
AnswerBowel and bladder function are controlled by nerves which come from the lowest levels of the spinal column. Therefore, almost all individuals with Spina Bifida will have trouble controlling their bowel and bladder function. Close attention to emptying the bladder, promptly treating urinary tract infections and maintaining kidney function is essential to preserving the health of individuals with Spina Bifida.
What are the dangers of Spina Bifida Gene found during an ultrasound?
Genes have codes on them that supply information or traits inheritedfrom each of our parents, when we then go on to have a baby the woman's egg and the man's sperm together add a new supply of these traits to their baby. It is the matter that combines to make our baby a unique combination of each parent.The trait for Spina Bifida is what would be found in a genetic study. How great the dangers after finding the trait along with trying to determine what other factors contribute to a child developing the defect and what can be done to prevent the damage. At this time studies suggest it is probably caused by genetic, dietary and environmental factors.Certain anti-seizure medications, diabetes, maternal obesity, an increased body temperature from fever or hot tubs, having a relative with spina bifida; all can increase the chances a woman will conceive a baby with a spina bifida. Most women who give birth to babies with spina bifida have none of these risk factors, and so despite years of research, it is still unknown what causes the majority of cases.Scientists know when parents carry the gene for Spina Bifida their children carry a higher risk of having the birth defect. They also know a daily dose of folic acid (Vitamin B) in women at risk, taken before conception reduces the risk of having a baby with the defect up to 75%. When a couple has given birth to a baby with neural tube defects (NTDs), future children carry about a 3% increase in risk, that risk can be reduced to about 1% if the woman takes high doses of folic acid before and during pregnancy. Continued use of folic acid during pregnancy may reduce the severity of the defects when they do occur. It is unknown how or why folic acid has this effect.Spina Bifida meaning split spine (Latin), is a developmental defect meaning it occurred during embryonic development. Often before the woman realizes she has conceived, the cells that form an early central nervous system come together and fuse between day 21 and 28 forming a single neural tube that will connect and house the brain, fluid and spinal cord. If in the first 28 days, the neural tube fails to close. The result is a defect of the central nervous system called Spina Bifida.When a fetus is found on ultra sound to have Spina Bifida, the risk is determined by what the defect actually consists of. The spine usually provides a protective tube of bones with the nerves (spinal cord) running down the middle. In severe cases of Spina Bifida there can be an opening in the skin and muscles usually found in the babies lower back, the bones do not close round the spinal cord and the nerves can bulge out of the unborn baby's back. Either defects in the spinal cord and/or injury to the protruding nerves can leave the baby paralyzed. While the opening in the spine can be closed, any damage to the nerves is usually permanent. Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. Affecting approximately 1 in 1,000 births.Spina Bifida is not just one condition; it is a catch phrase for a multitude of problems affecting the body and the mind. Possibly more important the spirit of everyone in the family.NTDs can involve both the spinal cord causing nerve damage and paralysis and also development of the brain; anencephaly is a neural tube defect (NTD) that occurs when the head end of the neural tube fails to close, this can cause a portion of the brain and skull to be malformed or missing. Infants born with this condition are born missing part of the cerebrum, most having this condition are blind and deaf.Encephalocele, is usually determined shortly after birth when the membrane that covers the brain protrudes through a small opening in the skull. The severity depends on where on the head it forms and whether the brain tissue is also found to be outside of the cranium. Both physical and mental delays are common issues, paralysis, microcephaly, vision problems, seizures and mental retardation.Children with Spina Bifida often have hydrocephalus, which literally means water on the brain, but the fluid is actually cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), malformed ventricles aren't able to drain and excess fluid will build up. The worst case scenario is the presence of excess fluid build up putting pressure on the brain. The pressure can push brain tissue aside causing more damage and is the reason a shunt is put in to the brain allowing excess to be drained off into the abdomen where it is reabsorbed by the body.Spina Bifida Occulta (or hidden) is the most mild form. In occulta, the outer part of some of the vertebrae are not completely closed. The split in the vertebrae is so small that the spinal cord does not protrude. The skin over the lower spine on a person with occulta may appear normal, or there may be a small dimple, a dermal sinus, a lipoma or birth mark.Spina Bifida Cystica A cyst protrudes through the defect in the vertebral arch causing a dorsal dural sac looking much like a blister on the baby's back. The terms spina bifida and myelomeningocele are usually used interchangeably. Spina bifida cystica may result in hydrocephalus and neurological deficits.Meningocele is the less severe and less common defect, where the spinal cord does not protrude into a dural sac and the vertebrae develop normally. However the meninges are forced into the gaps between the vertebrae causing tethering and the surgery to free the cord has notbeen found to be of great success due to scar tissue forming. Untethering is the second most common surgical procedure after shunts in children with Spina Bifida.Myeolomeningocele is a protrusion from the an opening in the spinal column in which the sac pressed through the bony opening contains tissue and cerebro-spinal fluid but also nerves and part of the spinal cord. The spinal cord is not properly developed or damaged. As a result, there is always some paralysis and loss of sensation from the damaged region down. The amount of disability depends on where the Spina Bifida is, and the amount of affected nerve tissue involved. Most people with myelomeningocele experience bower and bladder problems due to the loss of spinal pathways relaying information up and down the spinal cord .Spina bifida with myeloschisis is the most severe form of spina bifida cystica. In this defect, the involved area represented by a flattened, plate-like mass of nervous tissue with no overlying membrane. The exposure of these nerves and tissues make the baby more prone to life-threatening infections and surgery is usually performed soon after birth, if the baby is medically stable. If the opening is small enough doctors may leave it to heal on it's own.These conditions can be diagnosed in utero by ultrasound imaging. or the basis of elevated levels of alpha-fetoprotein after amniocentesis.Research has shown that up to 75% of all people with Spina Bifida have an allergy to latex. Because allergies can develop over time and reactions can be progressively worse the doctors and other caretakers need to limit the amount of latex products that come into contact with their patients who have NTD starting at birth.Currently there are studies underway to determine whether surgery performed in utero or waiting until after birth provides the best outcome When surgery is performed on a fetus skin grafts are used to cover the exposed spinal cord, to protect it from further damage caused by prolonged exposure to amniotic fluid. The surgery may prevent more damage from occurring but at this time damage to the spinal cord cannot be repaired. The fetal surgery may decrease some of the damaging effects of the spina bifida, but the is risk to both the fetus and the pregnant woman.The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a part of the NIH, is currently looking for women pregnant with a baby known to have Spina Bifida. The Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) website has information on the trial, at attached link.
What is the possessive form of fetus?
The possessive form of fetus is fetus' or fetus's
What is the worst birth defect on record?
This is a difficult question to answer because it is subjective. What one person feels is the worst may not be what someone else does. Also the subject matter is kind of macabre. One of the worst types of birth defects that I can think of off hand is anencephaly. Anencephaly is, like spina bifida, is a defect in the formation of the neural tube, but in this case the fetus does not develop a brain. They may still retain a brain stem so reflex actions like breathing can still happen, but the part of the brain that allows for consciousness is not there. Invariably these babies do not survive long after birth. In most cases severe malformation results in spontaneous abortion.
Why a pregnant mother takes the folic acid tablets?
Folic acid should be taken by a woman who hopes to become pregnant and during the early months of pregnancy. It is one of the B vitamins and it helps to prevent defects such as spina bifida. This is an abnormality caused by the brain and spinal cord failing to develop properly.
