Eureka! Institutional Repository

In the following survey, you can find information about one of the congenital neural tube defects, Spina Bifida. The planning and processing of it succeeded, with the help of book references that was found at the university’s library, concerning the general aspect of this defect, the development of it in the medical field and the necessary physical therapy treatment. Also, information was found at web sites that feature surveys and research that are published on medical journals, in which we gathered information about the treatment and the general aspect of this defect from all over the world, the new evolutionary ways of treatment, although some of them are still being investigated and exist on a theoretical level. The results of the following survey are that spina bifida is an incubated situation in an environment that the later is going to be treated, the worse the malformations will be on the newborn. About the incidence, although there are races that have higher percentages of the possibility to have a child with spina bifida, no one stays unaffected. Furthermore, even though spina bifida is about the deformity of the neural tube, more areas get affected, like the brain because of the injury of the cerebrospinal fluid, and with that way expanding the area of the incidence. The different types of spina bifida are manly being distinguished from the symptoms that the child appears to have, with spina bifida occulta being milder and myelomeningocele being the most severe one with more defections on sensation, mobility, cognitive and orthopaedical level. It can’t remain unaffected the bladder, renal, bowel and sexual function. Concerning of the medical approach of the cyst, there’s a conflict between the prenatal and post-natal surgery. A decision that has to be made from the medical group in cooperation with the parents, since it depends from the health status of the mother beyond that of the fetus. Then the part of the physiotherapist on the child’s life is remarkable, giving him the knowledge and the “ground” that he needs to develop into an independent adult. Important part of this survey is the psychological factor, both child and the parents since they help him, at least the first 5 years of his life and they are active members of the rehabilitation treatment. Finally, our conclusion on spina bifida is that, even today, many sectors of it are still unsure, needing more research, gathering and assessment of more cases