ABSTRACT
Due to the success of medical technology, families, providers, advocacy groups,
and public policies, up to 80% of children born with spina bifida are living well
into adulthood (1). They represent some of the 500,000 to 750,000 children with
special health-care needs who reach adult age each year in the United States (2).
They also represent a new challenge for a health-care system that has only
recently recognized this relatively new group of patients.
