Symptoms of Spina Bifida: An Overview
Symptoms of Spina Bifida Occulta
Symptoms of Spina Bifida: Neural Tube Defects
Closed neural tube defects are often recognized early in life due to an abnormal tuft, clump of hair, a small dimple, or birthmark on the skin at the site of the spinal malformation. While some patients with neural tube defects will have few or no symptoms of spina bifida, other patients will have incomplete paralysis with urinary and bowel dysfunction.
Symptoms of Spina Bifida: Meningocele and Myelomeningocele
Meningocele and
myelomeningocele generally involve a fluid-filled sac that is visible on the back, protruding from the spinal cord. In meningocele, a thin layer of skin may cover the sac; in myelomeningocele, there is no layer of skin covering the sac, and a section of spinal cord tissue usually is exposed.
Some patients with meningocele may have few or no symptoms of spina bifida, while others may experience symptoms similar to those of closed neural tube defects. Myelomeningocele is the most severe type of spina bifida -- it can result in partial or complete paralysis of the parts of the body below the spinal opening. The paralysis may be so severe that the affected individual is unable to walk and may have urinary and bowel dysfunction.
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