TEALE FENNING

cpeedahsa · Century Club Joined: 21 Apr 2007 Posts: 921

Factors associated with the development of neural tube defects

cpeedahsa · Century Club Joined: 21 Apr 2007 Posts: 921

Occupations associated with increased NTD risks include:

rpwalavalkar · Teale Fenning Administrator Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Posts: 966

NTDs result from failure of the neural tube to close normally between the third and fourth weeks after conception

Types --

Spinal / Cranial / both

Open - neural tissue exposed / Closed - neural tissue not exposed.

Spinal

Spina bifida occulta ---

is the simplest form, failure of the dorsal portions of the vertebrae to fuse with one another, usually localized to the sacrolumbar region, usually has tuft of hair or other dermal lesion over the affected area.

meningocele ---

more than one or two vertebrae are involved in the defect and only the meninges of the spinal cord herniates through the opening.
not associated with hydrocephalus or neurologic defects,
may be contiguous with a subcutaneous lipoma (ie, lipomeningocele).

meningomyelocele or myelomeningocele ---

both meninges and spinal cord herniate through the vertebral defect
often associated with hydrocephalus.

Cranial

Anencephaly —
congenital absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp due to failure of the cephalic part of the neural tube to close.
is the most common NTD

Exencephaly —
skull and scalp are absent, with exteriorization of an abnormally formed brain.

Encephalocele —
is the herniation of cranial contents through a defect in the skull.

Iniencephaly —
characterized by the triad of an occipital bone defect, cervical dysraphism (ie, defective fusion), and fixed retroflexion of the fetal head.
_________________
Dr Miss. Raj Walavalkar MBBS MRCOG
TealeFenning Administrator
SR O&G Wessex Region