Spina Bifida

Spina bifida, Latin for cleft spine, occurs when the neural tube -- including the brain and spinal cord -- does not form properly in the early months of pregnancy. There are four types of spina bifida: occulta, in which some of the vertebrae do not form properly; closed neural tube defects, in which there is malformation of the spinal cord and its covering; meningocele, in which that covering, the meninges, sticks out through an opening in the spinal column; and myelomeningocele, the most debilitating, in which the spinal cord itself sticks out of the spinal column. Although the malformations can be repaired, the damage done to the nerves cannot be, and children with spina bifida may have paralysis of the lower body, bowel and bladder problems, hydrocephalus (swelling of the brain), and other neurological issues.

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