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Updated: May 8, 2026
Monitoring the Mechanical Evolution of Tissue During Neural Tube Closure of Chick Embryo
Published on: November 10, 2023
Closed neural tube defects in children with caudal regression
Yasser Jeelani1, Gina M Mosich, J Gordon McComb
1Division of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, 1300 N. Vermont Avenue, Suite #1006, CA 90027, USA. yasserjeelani@gmail.com
Introduction:
Infants born with caudal regression (CR) may have serious multisystem abnormalities that require prompt attention in the neonatal period. The presence of a closed neural tube defect (NTD) that can lead to future neurological deterioration may be overlooked.
Materials And Methods:
An IRB-approved retrospective review was conducted among patients with CR and a closed NTD that underwent neurosurgical operative intervention between 1996 and 2012 at a single institution.
Results:
Twenty-two patients who met the above criteria were identified. Of this group, 13 were identified and surgically addressed in the first year of life; however, nine additional children were diagnosed with a closed NTD after a year of age with progressive neurological deterioration. Of the entire group, none had any cutaneous markers that are often seen with a closed NTD.
Conclusion:
The frequent finding of a closed NTD associated with major CR abnormalities, even in the absence of any cutaneous markers for dysraphism, recommends that infants with CR undergo a MRI screening in early infancy to exclude the presence of a closed NTD.
