Today is the International Day of Spina Bifida, a congenital malformation that affects the complete formation of the vertebrae or spinal cord. The infantile spina bifida the most common neural tube defect, along with anencephaly, incomplete brain formation, and hydrocephalus, excess fluid in the brain. All of them cause various neurological problems.
We already knew that studies and ultrasounds allow to advance the diagnosis of spina bifida in babies, If necessary, perform an intrauterine operation that guarantees a better quality of life in children born with this problem. These advances and others that are taking place in medicine are what we want to highlight on a day like today.
Advances in the early diagnosis of infantile spina bifida
Different studies confirm that it is already possible to detect infantile spina bifida, in the first trimester of pregnancy, thanks to the analysis of new parameters in ultrasound scans. Currently, it is usually detected from week 17. This congenital malformation occurs in nine out of every 10.000 pregnancies.
Merck's Consumer Health division in Berlin has tested 15.000 women and 16.000 fetuses. It is a prospective and multicenter IT study of intracranial translucency, in which the benefits of measuring ultrasound parameters referring to the posterior part of the fetal brain in the first trimester ultrasound have been investigated for the first time. Thus, the detection of cases of spina bifida can be advanced from weeks 11 and 13 of pregnancy, instead of doing it on week 17.
This research project has been published in the Journal of Ultrasound. Now doctors and professional associations around the world must evaluate the results and apply them to improve clinical practice.
Early and intrauterine intervention in babies with spina bifida
Because spina bifida can be detected during pregnancy, babies born with this neural tube defect can receive immediate care. Early intervention is very important, and this is generally practiced within 24 hours of their birth. The operation consists of surgically releasing the spinal cord. Sometimes the success of the operation does not prevent paralysis and numbness of the baby's legs. But it does prevent additional nerve damage from infection or trauma.
The Intrauterine operations are those that are performed with the baby inside the mother's uterus. This type of intervention has become an important ray of hope for families diagnosed with infantile spina bifida. Intrauterine operations are performed between week 18 and 30 of gestation.
The most “common" it is when spina bifida occult has been diagnosed, which generally does not require any treatment. The meningocele, which does not include the spinal cord, is surgically replaced, then there is usually no paralysis, and these babies generally develop normally.
Advances in research and various studies
In different university and hospital departments, studies are carried out to detect the spina bifida malformation as soon as possible and repair it as much as possible. What's more genetic, neurological and environmental variables are investigated that influence neurobehavioral outcomes in children with spina bifida; the effects of spina bifida on physical and cognitive development during early childhood are evaluated.
In particular, a lot of work is being done, with positive results of in utero surgery to repair myelomeningocele, the most serious form of spina bifida. Surgery has reduced the presence of a midbrain hernia by a third. The number of children who can walk independently has doubled.
These research programs are complemented by other research that focuses on embryonic development patterns and prenatal nutritional status. In this sense, we want to remember that, today, November 21, International Spina Bifida Day, is a day to raise awareness among pregnant women that this malformation is relatively easy to prevent: you have to consume a good dose of folic acid and maintain this habit during pregnancy.