What is a myelomeningocele?
A myelomeningocele (pronounced my-elo-men-IN-go-seal) is a defect of the backbone (spine) and spinal cord. Before birth, the baby’s spine, the spinal cord and the spinal canal do not form or close normally. A myelomeningocele is the most serious form of spina bifida.
What is Meningomyelocele associated with?
Myelomeningocele. This is the most common and serious type of spina bifida. It involves a sack outside the opening in the baby’s back somewhere on the spine. This sack contains parts of the spinal cord and nerves. The spinal cord and nerves in the sack will be damaged.
What causes Myelomeningocele?
What causes myelomeningocele? The exact cause is unknown, but a lack of folic acid, exposure to viruses, exposure to radiation, and/or genetics are suspected. How is it diagnosed? It is diagnosed with prenatal blood work, amniocentesis, physical exam, and ultrasound.
Can a child with myelomeningocele walk?
Background and Purpose: Infants with myelomeningocele (MMC) have difficulty with, and show delays in, acquiring functional skills, such as walking. This study examined whether infants with MMC will respond to treadmill practice by producing stepping patterns or at least motor activity during the first year after birth.
What happens in Myelomeningocele?
Myelomeningocele. Also known as open spina bifida, myelomeningocele is the most severe type. The spinal canal is open along several vertebrae in the lower or middle back. The membranes and spinal nerves push through this opening at birth, forming a sac on the baby’s back, typically exposing tissues and nerves.
Do fetuses with spina bifida move?
Despite anticipated major lower extremity and bladder dysfunction, lower limb movements were seen in 100% of the fetuses with anencephaly and encephaloceles, 93% with isolated spina bifida, 60% with complex spina bifida and 90% with abnormal intracranial findings.
Can Myelomeningocele be closed?
Myelomeningocele is the most severe form of spina bifida. A portion of the spinal cord or nerves is exposed in a sac through an opening in the spine that may or may not be covered by the meninges. The opening can be closed by surgeons while the baby is in utero or shortly after the baby is born.
What does the term meningomyelocele mean in medical terms?
[mi″ĕ-lo-mĕ-ning´go-sēl] hernial protrusion of the spinal cord and its meninges through a defect in the vertebral arch (spina bifida); see also neural tube defect. Called also meningomyelocele. Child with a large thoraco-lumbar myelomeningocele consisting of protruding spinal cord covered by meninges.
How is meningomyelocele related to spina bifida?
meningomyelocele An abnormal protrusion of the spinal cord and its covering membranes (MENINGES) through a congenital defect in the bone of the spine (SPINA BIFIDA). The meningomyelocele forms a swelling under the skin and the condition is usually associated with a severe neurological disturbance with loss of function in the legs and bladder.
What are the symptoms of meningomyelocele in children?
Meningomyelocele is often very severe, because the spinal cord has usually not developed properly and the brain is usually affected. Abnormalities in the spinal cord often cause problems in leg, bladder, and bowel function.
When do you get a blood test for meningomyelocele?
How is meningomyelocele diagnosed? This condition is usually diagnosed during the second trimester of pregnancy, when women can have a blood test called the quadruple screen. The test can screen for several conditions including meningomyelocele, Down syndrome, and other congenital diseases of the baby.