[Neural tube dysraphism: meningomyelocele and related disorders]

Neural tube disorders develop as a result of failure of neural tube closure between 3rd and 5th gestational weeks. This failure can cause soft structure anomalies (spina bifida, lumbal meningocela) or possible can contain neural tissue (meningomyeloccla, encephaloccla). Etiology of this disorder is not clear enough, and probably has multifactorial roots. Besides genetic factors, there are impact of some nutritional causes like folic acid. 28 cases with neural tube dysraphism hospitalized during period August 1999 till August 2002. at the Pediatric Clinic KCU Sarajevo were analyzed through retrospective study. 19/28 (67.8%) of newborn were from controlled pregnancy but without folic acid supplementation, 4 of them (14.2%) had prenatal diagnosis. Dysraphic disorder was the most often accompanied by paraplegia 16/28 (57.1%), hydrocephalus 17/28 (60.7%), from which 6/17 (35.2%) with Arnold Chiary malformation. 13/28 (46.4%) had skeletal deformities. Active preoperative treatment was conducted in 20/28 (71.4%) cases, and the rest of them were treated with home palliative care because of parent's rejection of surgery or major accompanied anomalies presence. In order to decrease the incidence of dysraphic disorders it is necessary to conduct periconceptional folic acid prevention, and provide early prenatal diagnosis. Long term treatment of children with meningomyclocele requires multidisciplinary approach that includes surgeons, orthopedists, pediatricians, physical therapists, in order to improve life quality of survived children.