[Follow-up of adult patients with myelomeningocele]

The adult outcome of spina bifida patients is fraught with multiple problems reflecting the multisystemic nature of the disease. These problems result in both mortality, actually caused in most cases by the shunt, and morbidity, mostly affecting locomotion and sphincter control. These patients can thus lose ambulation and suffer from worsening incontinence and kidney function. The result in the vast majority of cases is a poor functional and socioprofessional outcome. The patients' demands regarding their occupational and affective lives, as well as procreation, must be heard. This requires a multidisciplinary approach, and pediatric and adult, as well as patient education and financial support for maintaining the patient's autonomy and medical acts allowing the viability of continued medical care.