Spina bifida is a nervous system disorder that takes place during the first month of pregnancy. It looks like a sac on the infants back, varying in size. In some cases, a part of the spinal cord and nerves can be enclosed in the sac. This can cause physical and neurological damage to the infant, the severity depends on the size and area of opening or if the spinal cord and nerves are affected.
The cause of spina bifida is unknown, however, it may play a role in genetics. Folic acid may also play a role in developing spina bifida, women who are pregnant are encouraged to take folic acid vitamins to help sustain adequate levels. It has been found that it is more commonly seen in Caucasian and Hispanic infants. The neural tube in the spine fails to close completely during the first month of pregnancy, making the vertebrae unable to form and enclose the spinal column correctly. While it endangers a vital part of the human body, the severity and damage to the infant can vary. There are 4 types of spina bifida: spina bifida occulta, closed neural tube defect, meningocele, and myelomeningocele.
Spina bifida occulta is the mildest form of this disorder, causing rarely any disabilities of symptoms. “Occulta” means “hidden”, referencing to the layer of
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In a women’s 2nd trimester of her pregnancy, she can have a blood test called the “quadruple screen” to determine if her child has spina bifida. The fetus and placenta give off a protein called AHP (maternal alpha-fetoprotein), which will appear in the mother’s bloodstream. If the test shows a higher than average level of AFP (maternal alpha-fetoprotein) then it may indicate that the baby has a spinal opening. Sometimes doctors can diagnose with an ultrasound on the baby in utero, many times the malformation can be seen. However, the baby may not be diagnosed until birth. In this case, the doctor would run an MRI, CT, or X-ray to confirm the status of the
b. Spina Bifida is a painful condition when a baby is born without the normal formation of the bones near the spine and the spinal cord.
Kecia is a 25yo, G3 P2002, who was seen for an ultrasound evaluation to evaluate the fetal abdomen. She overall denies any major medical disorders. She reportedly had a seizure related to an anesthesia event in a prior surgery but denies any history of epilepsy and therefore is not on an anticonvulsant. She has 2 previous term uncomplicated vaginal deliveries in 2012 and 2016. On today’s evaluation, overall, she has no obstetrical complaints and has positive fetal movement.
On today’s evaluation, she is 19 weeks and the fetal measurements overall are concordant. The long bone measurements are within one week of her dates. The amniotic fluid volume is normal, and the cervix is long and closed. A complete fetal anatomical survey was performed and a significant amount of ventriculomegaly/hydrocephalous was identified but no other major malformations were noted at this time, though due to the
On ultrasound there is a live fetus in cephalic presentation. Fetal biometry is consistent with dates. On detailed survey we did note an ONTD that is suspected to be from the lumbar down to the sacral area. There was no skin covering the area and there was no clear evidence of meningomyocele but on transverse imaging of the spine they are significantly splayed. In the intracranial views we did see a lemon and banana sign. The ventricles were upper-normal and prominent, right at 1 cm with dangling choroids.
One of the most important determinant of fetal viability is the pulmonary system development and maturity. The prenatal awareness of any abnormalities or anomalies going to ensure better management of the pregnancy, also giving the opportunity for the medical team and parents to prepare for the delivery and postnatal treatment. Congenital malformations of the fetal thorax are common which can involve many organs. Early detection and accurate diagnosis of fetal pathology are possible by using ultrasound and MRI imaging.
The first selection is a court proceeding from 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts which accounts a slave woman name Tituba giving testimony on charges against her. The second selection is a poem by Anne Bradstreet, a puritan woman who lives in New England in the mid 1600’s. The poem that Anne writes about is her children leaving the nest. The final selection is a letter by Richard Frethorne an indentured servant, who lived in Martin's hundred settlement in Virginia. Richard wrote a letter to his parents in England describing his experience in the new world in 1623. These selections give us an accurate depiction of life in 17th North America.
Spina bifida is a birth defect called neural tube defects. Normally, the neural tube forms early in pregnancy and then is fully closed by the 28th day after conception. Babies with spina bifida, a portion of the tube don’t develop or close properly, causing a defect in the spinal cord and in the bones of the spine.
"Spina bifida is a type of birth defect called a neural tube defect, it happens if the spinal column of the fetus does not close completely during the first month or pregnancy, that can damage the nerves and spinal cord" (U.S National Library Medicine, 2014). Spina bifida's symptoms are defending on how severe the defect is. Children with mild form of spina bifida do not have any problems. According to WebMD, children with the most severe form often, have spine, and brain issues that cause serious problems (2014). Scientists believed that spina bifida is caused by a condition of genetic and environmental factors such as the mother's nutrition. "The long-term problems associated with spina bifida are; bowel problems, hydrocephalus surgery, muscles
Children can go under go a countless amount of surgeries to help them work through spina bifida, however it is almost impossible for the child to get through their lives without symptoms going unnoticed. There are many different stages of spina bifida going from minor symptoms like a limp in their walk to being pretty much completely paralyzed. There have been many famous people with spina bifida such as athletes, actors, writers, and more. By sharing these famous people with children with spina bifida it will help them look at life more positively. There are ways that parents can have a better chance at avoiding spina bifida, however there is no way to completely get rid of the chances of the child having the disease. Before scientists went into research on spina bifida the children were not likely to live past a year. Spina Bifida is a horrific birth defect, and hopefully with continuing studies spina bifida average rate will continue to
Exomphalos can be linked to genetic abnormalities and it may occur with any age of the mother (“Contact a Family,” 2012). Gastroschisis is characterised by a defect in the abdominal wall and it is positioned to one side of the umbilical cord, typically the right side. In most cases the bowel will develop out of the abdomen. The bowel will remain out of the abdomen for the remaining time of the pregnancy. In some cases, the amniotic “ fluid irritates the bowel and makes it inflamed and thick, so that it does not work properly. Sometimes the bowel becomes twisted as it floats in the fluid and the blood supply is restricted.” (“Contact a Family,” 2012). At birth, the bowel can become further irritated when it is exposed to the air. Gastroschisis is associated with younger mothers; if the mother is under 20 years old, the risk of her child having gastroschisis is twelve times more likely (“Contact a Family,” 2012). Gastroschisis is typically not linked with any other abnormality, which means that is almost always an isolated abnormality (“Contact a Family,” 2012).
More severe cases of spina bifida require immediate surgery to ensure the infant’s survival. Encephalocele also pertains to a defect in the cephalic portion of the neural tube. This condition “occurs when a meningeal sac containing brain tissue protrudes from the skull. The outlook for affected individuals depends on the amount of nervous tissue involved” (neural tube defect, 2014). Infants born with a neural tube defect are also examined for hydrocephalus, or “water on the brain.” Hydrocephalus “occurs when normal passages for the cerebrospinal fluid that fills the neural tube are partially or completely blocked” by a neural tube defect (neural tube defect, 2014). (Frazier & Drzymkowski, 2013; neural tube defect, 2014)
Of all the horrifying details about these arachnids, they have the ability to be loving.
For my Axial Skeleton disorder I chose to write about Spina Bifida. Spinal Bifida is a congenital neural tube defect that effects the spinal cord to different degrees, Spinal bifida occulta, Meningocele, and Myelomeningocele. Symptoms include incomplete development of the brain, spinal cord, and protrusion from the backbone and covered by membranes, hydrocephalus and paralysis of the legs. Long term effects will differ depending on which type of spinal bifida is present. They may include complication with bowel and bladder functions, learning
Abram was met by the king of Sodom after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer. The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself” (Genesis 14:21). However, Abram in the past had already sworn to his deity that he would not take anything from him so that the king would not be able to say, “I have made Abram rich” (Genesis 14:23). Because Abram kept his promise, the word of the Lord came to him in a vision in chapter 15 of Genesis. In this chapter, God’s Covenant with Abram was proclaimed.
Neural tube defects can be split into two different types: open and closed (Mitchell, 2005). The most common of the “open” NTDs are anencephaly and myelomeningocele. These two types of NTDs are when an end of the neural tube does not properly close. Anencephaly is when the brain end of the neural tube fails to close properly (Mitchell, 2005). Babies born with this defect are missing parts of their brain and skull and surrounding areas. There are both mental and physical problems associated with anencephaly. This neural tube defect is particularly devastating because babies born with this type of defect will certainly die shortly after being born. Below is an image of an example of what happens when a fetus is affected with anencephaly. This