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Contents 1 OLD issues, resolved 1.1 Developed countries 2 NEW issues, pending 2.1 Images of spinabifida and cleft lips/palates 2.2 Lipomyelomeningocele 2.3 Question about occulta 2.4 morbidity statistics 2.5 re: Effects 2.6 Non humans? 2.7 What age do you live to?

[edit] OLD issues, resolved

[edit] Developed countries

Somewhere in the text it says "In developed countries, this cleft is surgically closed shortly after birth (see below)".

This is a bit innacurate, as it can mean that the surgery to close the cleft is only performed in developed countries. I am a living proof that it's not accurate, my "fixing" surgery was done 42 years ago, in a 3rd world country. Marcusbacus 00:12, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

I noticed that too and I will now delete it. Una Smith 04:08, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] NEW issues, pending

[edit] Images of spinabifida and cleft lips/palates

I seem to vaguely remember reading that spina bifida occurs if there is trouble with one end of the fetus (perhaps even the blastocyst?), and cleft lips and palates occur when there's trouble at the other. This was accompanied by 2 images, 1 of the cleft lip condition in a fetus/blastocyst, and the other of spine abifida in a fetus/blastocyst. If anyone can track them down, they should defenitly be added to this article.

I might be wrong but I think that they aren't related. Anencephalia though is the same kind of problem as spina bifida, but it's when the neural tube doesn't close in the "other" side. Marcusbacus 00:17, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

In one of the Ripley's Believe It Or Not books, there is a picture of a man with a gaping hole in his lower back. I can't remember the man's name, but could this possibly be caused by spina bifida?-Thomasiscool

[edit] Lipomyelomeningocele

I've heard it is a serious form of spina bifida and other places it is listed with occulta, which is described as "mild." What exactly is it and where does it fall in the types of spina bifida? Maxbrite60 05:17, 16 August 2006 (UTC)Maxie

In response to the previous comment about this defect, I found several sites explaining Lipomyelomeningocele, also known as tethered cord syndrome. It is a rare and very serious form of Spina Bifida, where there is some sort of fat connected to the spine. If you want a better explanation, this is a good link: www.lfsn.org/lipomyel.htm.Thomasiscool 15:16, 7 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Question about occulta

Indivduals are ususally not born with spina bifida occulta and it may be caused by an injury.

Is that true?Stbalbach 03:18, 27 Nov 2004 (UTC)

No. Occulta is very common and usually found by chance when an abdominal X--ray is taken for other reasons. Spina bifida occulta may not have the same genetic etiology as spina bifida cystica.

The above statement is untrue SB occulta in congenital. It may only be discovered at a later time but people with it are born with it.

Someone has this morning (6/7/07) lopped off a huge section of the introduction to this article, without explanation, leaving it starting mid sentence. I have changed it back.

[edit] morbidity statistics

More children in the U.S. have spina bifida than have muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, and cystic fibrosis combined.

But as the article on MS says,

MS primarily affects adults, with an age of onset typically between 20 and 40 years

Also according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation about 2500 babies are born with CF each year in the United States.

With about 4 million babies per year in the US, the 7 in 10,000 figure gives 2,800 with Spina Bifida.

And given that

Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies together affect 1 in 3500 to 5000 male births. Between 400 and 600 boys in the United States are born with these ... (ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=musculardystrophyduchenneandbeckertypes)

The comparison statement should be revised ... or deleted. Maybe there should be an article giving morbidity rates where appropriate by gender, ethnicity, location and so on? At the moment there is just a redirect to a short article on morbidity.

CitizenSmith 12:15, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for doing the research on this. I was going to make the same point when I saw the comparison with MS, which is an adult-onset disease. Without providing further information, this statement is simply alarmist. I'm not an expert, but unless someone can cite sources for it, I'll delete it in the near future if I remember and nobody beats me to it.

Atomota 23:27, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

I deleted that statement. Including MS in the list is a bit like saying "more children have spina bifida than ..., ..., and Alzheimer's combined."

Atomota 05:01, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] re: Effects

I would like this bit to be updated to include surgery as an option for bladder continence control. It is now possible to surgically alter the bladder using strips of bowel from the person being operated on. The enlarged bladder aids control. Additionally it is possible to implant an artificial hydraulic pump system which closes the neck of the bladder until a button in the scrotum or labia is squeezed.

User:Robata

This is bladder augmentation, and I have added a link to it. Una Smith 02:52, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

And an artificial sphincter is under development.

Details, sources? Una Smith 02:52, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Would this help?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?itool=abstractplus&db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=abstractplus&list_uids=16945659

Ispy1981 09:35, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes, but not on Spina bifida; that article excludes patients with spina bifida. I have started a subsection on artificial urinary sphincter under Urinary incontinence, but the topic deserves its own page. Una Smith 14:58, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

Ah, jeez. I completely missed the "without" in the title. Sorry about that.

Ispy1981 19:08, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

Appendicostomy is a surgical procedure used for improving the bowel control of people with Myelomeningocele. More about this procedure should be added, a place to start for information is http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/109/3/484. A separate article about appendicostomy/the MACE procedure should probably be added too, including information that it also can be useful for adults. I don't have the time to do anything myself right now, if somebody can do it it's great, else I have this "note-to-self" for whenever I get more time.

Kongsvold 20:07, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Non humans?

What is the incidence of spina bifida in non-human animals? 199.126.44.35 03:51, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What age do you live to?

My cousin said that she was the oldest person to live in Ireland with spina bifida.She is 36.She said most people only live to be 31.What age do most people live to?I know she is not the oldest peson in Ireland as she would be on newspapers and television.I am only 11 and i would like to fin out more.Please get in contact with me. -User:Ruta Petekuta

Many people live with spina bifida live to a ripe old age. Kingturtle (talk) 16:57, 17 January 2008 (UTC)