Epidemiological profile of patients undergoing correction of myelomeningocele in Brazilian public health system

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“…Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a common health burden in the countries of the sub-Saharan region [1] and the an important concern for the public health system [2]. Prevalence in Africa has been reported at 11.7 per 10,000 [3]and the worldwide ranges from 0.17 to 6.39 per 1,000 live births [4].…”

“…Myelomeningocele (MMC)which is the most common form of NTDs, is characterized by an external immobilization of the neu-ral placode through a posterior vertebral defect, surrounded by epithelial tissue [2]. The aetiology of NTDs has been widely linked to both environmental and genetic factors whereas the failure of closure of caudal neural pore and has been associated with poor intake of prenatal folic acid [5].…”

“…Surgery after birth remains the mainstay of treatment for NTDs and involves both spina bifida closure and encephalocele repairwith good outcomes [2,[11][12][13]. Intrauterine fetoscopic repair [14,15] for MMCs has been mentioned in literature with mixed results although this procedure is not performed at our centre [16] with postnatal surgery being the mainstay our mainstay of treatment for NTDs.…”

“…At our institution, unpublished findings from hospital records show that NTDs are among the leading cause of admissions from local data however the local prevalence of NTDs has not been reported.Understanding the epidemiological profile of NTDs in the Lake-Zone region through analysing its prevalence and among socioeconomic regions is paramount in understanding the factors which may contribute to the aetiology, risk factors, morbidity and mortality of the disease.The main objective of this study is to report the prevalence and the geographical distribution of the relevant referral regions [2].…”