Further Outpatient Care

Children with open NTDs need comprehensive follow-up in a multimodality setting involving numerous specialties and subspecialties.

Further Inpatient Care

See the list below:

Neonatology
Pediatric neurology
Pediatric neurosurgery
Pediatric orthopedics
Urology
Physical medicine
Orthopedic surgery

Complications

Complications may include the following:

Infections
Bladder dysfunction^[42]

Prognosis

Prognosis depends upon the defect and ranges from excellent to poor.

Patient Education

Many groups exist with interests concerning the particular child.

For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicineHealth's Brain and Nervous System Center. Also, see eMedicineHealth's patient education article Spina Bifida.

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Media Gallery

Myelomeningocele in a newborn.
Myelomeningocele in a newborn - Lateral view.
Child with Chiari malformation, in whom the tonsils have descended to the level of C2.
MRI of a cervical syrinx in the sagittal plane.
MRI of a cervical syrinx in the axial plane.

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Author

Nir Shimony, MD Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Le Bonheur Neuroscience Institute, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, and Semmes Murphey Clinic, University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine; Adjunct Faculty, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Nir Shimony, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Neurological Surgeons, American Epilepsy Society, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, International Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Society for Neuro-Oncology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Christopher E Louie, MB, MPH Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

George I Jallo, MD Professor of Neurosurgery, Pediatrics, and Oncology, Director, Clinical Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

George I Jallo, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association of Neurological Surgeons, American Medical Association, American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Received salary from Medscape for employment. for: Medscape.

Chief Editor

Amy Kao, MD Attending Neurologist, Children's National Medical Center

Amy Kao, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Neurology, American Epilepsy Society, Child Neurology Society

Disclosure: Have stock (managed by a financial services company) in healthcare companies including Allergan, Cellectar Biosciences, CVS Health, Danaher Corp, Johnson & Johnson.

Additional Contributors

Robert Stanley Rust, Jr, MD, MA Former Thomas E Worrell Jr Professor of Epileptology and Neurology, Co-Director of FE Dreifuss Child Neurology and Epilepsy Clinics, Director, Child Neurology, University of Virginia School of Medicine; Chair-Elect, Child Neurology Section, American Academy of Neurology

Robert Stanley Rust, Jr, MD, MA is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Neurology, American Epilepsy Society, American Headache Society, American Neurological Association, Child Neurology Society, International Child Neurology Association, Society for Pediatric Research

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Acknowledgements

The authors and editors of Medscape Reference gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous coauthor Tibor Becske, MD, to the writing and development of this article.