A Study of Deaths and Handicap in a Consecutive Series of Spina Bifida Treated Unselectively from Birth

Abstract

In a consecutive series of spina bifida operated unselectively at birth 62% reached the twelfth birthday and 54% could be expected to reach the nineteenth. Many of the most severely affected cases survived; if they died the cause was usually renal failure. Bronchopneumonia was the main cause of death in infants and hydrocephalus in the older children. Girls outnumbered boys by 1:1.3 and, although they were more severely affected, their survival equalled the boys'. Awareness of the high survival rate which results from the treatment of spina bifida is important for the parents of a newborn baby. It is also a prerequisite in planning provision for the young adult.

Factors Affecting Mortality and Morbidity in Adult Spina Bifida

“…This necessitates a multi-specialty input in their management. The predominant cause of death in spina bifida in children is complications from shunts and hydrocephalus (2). In our series of adult patients, the commonest cause of death was from renal complications.…”

“…Therefore, we are faced with having to deal with many mare complications in these patients in their adulthood. Several studies have dealt with spina bifida and the mortality in children (2). Many of the severely affected children survived; if they died, the cause was usually renal failure.…”

Urologic Disorders are Still the Leading Cause of In-hospital Death in Patients With Spina Bifida

“…Benoit PEYRONNET 1,2,3 , Fei GAO 4 , Charlène BROCHARD 2,3,5 , Emmanuel OGER 6 , Lucie-Marie SCAILTEUX 6 , Frédéric BALUSSON 6 , Juliette HASCOET 1,2,3 , Quentin ALIMI 1,2 , Zineeddine KHENE 1 , Sahar BAYAT 4 , Magali JEZEQUEL 2 , Camille OLIVARI 2 , Caroline VOIRY 2,7 , Jacques KERDRAON 2,8 , Guillaume BOUGUEN 2,3,5 , Xavier GAME 9 , Laurent SIPROUDHIS 2,3,5 , Andrea MANUNTA 1,2,3…”

Non-Selective Intervention in Newborn Babies with Open Spina Bifida: The Outcome 30 Years on for the Complete Cohort

“…At that time, there was no computerised tomography, no magnetic resonance imaging and no uItra-sonography. This consecutive series has been reviewed five times by the same independent observer (2,3,4,5,6,7,9). Each review has focused on a different aspect: from the justification of treatment, in the earliest, to the achievements of the survivors, in the latest review (Table 1).…”