ABSTRACT
Spina bida, commonly known as myelomeningocele (MMC), is one of the most common birth defects in the United States that portends lifelong childhood paralysis. Affecting 1 in 3000 live births in the United States (Boulet et al., 2008), MMC results in signicant long-term morbidity and healthcare costs (Botto et al., 1999). Resulting from the incomplete closure of the neural tube, children with MMC suffer from lower motor and sensory dysfunction due to spinal cord exposure to the intrauterine environment. Clinical manifestations include paralysis, bowel and bladder incontinence, and musculoskeletal deformities, as well as cognitive and cranial nerve disabilities due to hindbrain herniation. With lifelong social and medical care dependence, healthcare costs for children with MMC are 13 times greater than those of other children, with an estimated cost of $200,000,000 annually in the United States alone (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 1989; Ouyang et al., 2007).
