This article outlines and summarizes the rationale and the working process that was undertaken by the National Spina Bifida Program to address the issues of transitioning throughout the life course for persons growing up with spina bifida. Their challenges include achieving independent living, vocational independence, community mobility, and participation in social activities, and health manage...

Sprayed extensively by the US military in Vietnam, Agent Orange contained a dioxin contaminant later found to be toxic to humans [7]. Despite reports by Vietnamese citizens and Vietnam War veterans of increased rates of stillbirths and birth defects [8] in their children, studies in the 1980s showed conflicting evidence for an association between the two. In 1996, the US National Academy of Sci...

Data obtained from routine sources showed that from 1971 to 1982 the birth prevalences of spina bifida and anencephaly in Scotland fell. When known terminations after routine alpha fetoprotein screening were added to total births the adjusted birth prevalence could be calculated. In 1974-82 this fell by 40% for spina bifida (3 X 0-1 X 8) and 36% for anencephaly (2 X 2-1 X 4). These findings wer...

UNLABELLED This study aimed to determine the prevalence and early outcome of neural tube defects (NTDs) in Malaysia. This prospective study included all neonates with NTDs (spina bifida, anencephaly, encephalocoele) born in 2009 in 32 Malaysian hospitals in the Malaysian National Neonatal Network. The prevalence of NTDs was 0.42 per 1000 live births, being highest among the indigenous people of...

We studied the relation between cortical oscillatory rhythms and the structural integrity of the corpus callosum in 21 children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Participants underwent resting state neuromagnetic recordings and diffusion tensor imaging. Areas of three segments of the corpus callosum (genu, body, splenium) were derived through diffusion tensor imaging-based morphometrics. Chi...

We investigated the mental rotation ability of children with spina bifida, a malformation of the spinal cord due to a neural tube defect, and how it is influenced by a manual rotation training. In comparison to a healthy control group these children showed longer reaction times and a higher number of errors in a computer-based mental rotation test. Furthermore, a manual rotation training was ap...

Medial malleolar screw hemiepiphysiodesis has been shown to be an effective procedure for the treatment of ankle valgus in children with spina bifida. The purpose of this study was to highlight the guided growth technique and discuss its efficacy. We retrospectively reviewed 10 spina bifida patients with 18 ankle valgus deformities treated with medial malleolar screw hemiepiphysiodesis. Medical...