Neural Tube Defects

• Neural Tube Defects - are congenital anomalies that occur during the development of the neural tube, which eventually forms the brain and spinal cord
• These defects can happen early in pregnancy, often before a woman even knows she's pregnant.
• meninges – we have this inflammation of brain na nangayarari on the first trimester resulting to the fluid coming out from the neural tube
• Three primary brain vesicles

  • forebrain - prosencephalon
  • midbrain - mesencephalon
  • hindbrain - rhombencephalon
• Common Types of Neural Tube Defects

  • Spina bifida occulta
  • Meningocele
  • myelomeningocele
• spina bifida occulta - incomplete fusion of the posterior vertebral arch
• Prognosis of this conditions is lower – they cannot last for 60 years but estimated only for 7 years

  spina bifida occulta
• meningocele - external protrusion of the meninges and accumulation of fluid in the meninges
• Myelomeningocele - protrusion of the meninges and spinal cord
• anencephaly - anomalies that happened in the upper part of the neural tube
• Signs and Symptoms of Spina Bifida Occulta

  • not protrude visibly
  • dimple in the skin
  • tuft hair
  • soft fatty deposits
  • port wine nevi
  • musculoskeletal deformities
  • hydrocephalus
• Medical Intervention

  • Folic Acid Supplementation