Neural tube defects: A retrospective study of 69 cases

Abstract

Objective: Neural tube defects (NTDs) are congenital disorders that significantly increase the risk of death and disability in the 1 st year of life. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the patients admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit because of NTD. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively examined the demographic features, familial risk factors, physical examination and radiological findings, and accompanying diseases of 69 patients with NTD. Results: Of the 69 patients hospitalized in a 5-year period, 38 were female and 31 were male. The median birth weight was 3150 g and the median delivery week was 38 weeks. Forty-nine of the patients (71%) had meningomyelocele, 11 patients (16%) had encephalocele, and nine patients (13%) had meningocele. Forty-five of the patients (65.2%) had Arnold–Chiari type 2 malformation. Twenty-five percent of the mothers had a history of periconceptional use of folic acid. The median time of making a diagnosis of NTD by prenatal ultrasonography was 20 (16–24) weeks. Thirty-nine of the patients (56.5%) had other organ disorders, some with multiple systemic disorders. Conclusion: The use of periconceptional folic acid in mothers and a decision for termination in selected cases may be effective in reducing the frequency of NTD.

Management of Neural Tube Defect: A Single-Center Experience

“…Neural tube defect (NTD) is a congenital condition in which the vertebral column fails to close and frequently affects the spinal cord. NTD substantially increases the risk of disability and death within the first year of life [1][2][3]. Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the development of NTD [4,5].…”

“…Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the development of NTD [4,5]. Moreover, its incidence can vary according based on the development status of the country, race, and sex of the child as well as the socioeconomic and education levels of the family [2,[5][6][7]. Different studies have reported the incidence of NTD as 0.72 to 6.2 per 1000 live births [1,2,5,[7][8][9].…”

“…Primary neurulation begins at weeks 3 and 4 of gestation. NTDs occur when the embryonic neural tube fails to close by week 5 or 6 [2,10,11]. NTDs are a heterogeneous and complex group of central nervous system (CNS) anomalies.…”

“…NTDs are a heterogeneous and complex group of central nervous system (CNS) anomalies. The most common form of NTD is myelomeningocele (MMC) [2,3,8,11]. In addition, neural malformations are often associated with abnormalities in other organ systems [2,3,[11][12][13][14].…”

“…The most common form of NTD is myelomeningocele (MMC) [2,3,8,11]. In addition, neural malformations are often associated with abnormalities in other organ systems [2,3,[11][12][13][14]. NTD is accompanied by hydrocephalus in 90%, Chiari malformation type II in 70%, scoliosis in >50%, and kyphosis in about 20% of patients [12,15].…”