Physical characteristics of spina bifida

Answer 1

There are a few different symptoms that you might experience if you have spina bifida. These symptoms include loss of sensation in the legs and feet, unable to control the bladder, and poor bowel control.

Answer 2

The characteristics of SB depend on the severity, but run the gamut, occulta does not cause neurological problems such as paralysis or weakness and has no noticeable defect.

Most individuals with spina bifida will have differences in the development of the brain itself. In those with spina bifida, the brain is usually positioned further down into the upper spinal column than it should be. This change in position is part of a condition called the Chiari II malformation. The brain tissue displaced into the upper spinal canal blocks the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid, also known as CSF. This leads to a build-up of fluid within the cavities or "ventricles" of the brain. This condition is called hydrocephalus, requiring a shunt to be placed in the brain to allow excess fluid to drain and prevent further damage.

Spina Bifida Cystica, a cyst protrudes through the defect in the vertebral arch. These conditions can be diagnosed in utero on the basis of elevated levels of alpha-fetoprotein after amniocentesis and by ultrasound imaging. Spina bifida cystica may result in hydrocephalus and neurological deficits.

Meningomylocele the most serious can present with a very large and very dangerous opening with tissue, and nerves protruding through the opening. Curvature of the spine, club or deformed feet, paralysis, lack of bladder and bowel control, hydrocephalus, and/or mental retardation.

Encephalocele, a sac-like protrusion or projection of the brain and the membranes that cover it through an opening in the skull. These defects happen when the neural tube does not close completely during early pregnancy. The result is an opening in the midline of the upper part of the skull, the area between the forehead and nose, or the back of the skull.

Answer 3

It is a lesion or hole where the nerves of the spinal cord are not completely enclosed (not life-threatening). The second most common birth defect in the United States, affecting one out of every 2,000 newborns.

Answer 4

Spina Bifida is a neural tube defect.