Neural Tube Defects
Neural tube defects are birth defects that originate in the very early stages of pregnancy and pertain specifically to defects of the spine, spinal cord, or brain. Approximately 28 days from conception, often before a woman even knows she is pregnant, the embryo's spinal cord begins transitioning from a flat segment into a tube, known as the neural tube. A neural tube defect occurs when the tube does not fully close. There are several types of neural tube defects, but the most common, spina bifida (myelomeningocele) and anencephaly, are considered open neural tube defects and leave the spine or brain exposed at birth. Spina bifida occurs when the spinal cord of the fetus does not fully close, which typically leads to nerve damage and some paralysis in the legs. Spina bifida occulta is a similar condition, but it does not cause nerve damage. Anencephaly occurs when areas of the brain and skull remain undeveloped, and babies with this condition often die soon after birth or may be stillborn. Chiari is another type of defect that results in brain tissue extending into the spinal canal. When a spinal defect is covered by skin, it is part of a less common set of defects, referred to as closed neural tube defects. A tethered cord, lipomeningocele, and lipomyelomeningocele are examples of closed defects.
Why UAB
The Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialists at the University of Alabama Birmingham Women & Infants Center are available on-site 24 hours a day to manage problems associated with high-risk pregnancies. Our physicians are experts at managing conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, Rh sensitization, multiple births, premature delivery risk, and other potential complications.
MFM specialists at the UAB have access to treatments that often are not yet available elsewhere, which can reduce the chance of a recurrent preterm birth by one-third to one-half. We are one of the nation’s most advanced MFM programs, as evidenced by being one of only 14 centers participating in the national Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network for high-risk pregnancy research. To support our research we developed Alabama’s first OB/GYN Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, which implemented the first comprehensive first-trimester screening program and the first integrated first- and second-trimester screening program for fetal abnormalities.
Patients at UAB have access to the most up-to-date care, including first-trimester diagnosis, genetic testing and counseling, and 4D-ultrasound and fetal imaging. UAB's team includes only board-certified MFM specialists as well as specialists with genetics certification. Our program also includes a personal labor nurse and three anesthesia specialists.
Images and Videos
CLINICAL TRIALS
UAB is an active participant in research and clinical trials for the diagnosis and treatment of neural tube defects. We encourage you to speak to your physician about research and clinical trial options and browse the link below for more information.
View Clinical TrialsMore from UAB
Around the Web
Division of Neonatology
uab.edu
Obstetrics & Gynecology Services
uabmedicine.org
UAB Women & Infants Center
uabmedicine.org
Latest Headlines
-
UAB Dietitians Reveal Their ‘Guilty Pleasures’
- Publish Date
- 2/14/19
-
Medications and Kidney Disease: What You Should Know
- Publish Date
- 2/14/19
-
Women in Medicine Spotlight: Jayme Locke, MD
- Publish Date
- 1/31/19
-
UAB Medicine Supports Heart Month 2019
- Publish Date
- 1/30/19
-
VIDEO: Celebrating National Women Physicians Day
- Publish Date
- 1/28/19
-
UAB Clinicians You Should be Following on Twitter: Part II
- Publish Date
- 1/22/19
-
Genome: Unlocking Life's Code
- Publish Date
- 1/16/19
-
UAB Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology 2018 Facts & Figures
- Publish Date
- 1/16/19
-
UAB Faculty and Fellows Active in American College of Rheumatology Leadership
- Publish Date
- 1/3/19
-
Faculty Spotlight: Laura B. Hughes
- Publish Date
- 1/3/19
UPCOMING CLASSES AND EVENTS
- Genome: Unlocking Life's Code
Do you have your mother’s dimples? Or your father’s hairline? What makes us, us? And how much of it actually sets us apart from every other living thing on Earth?
Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code begins to unravel the mystery behind the complete set of instructions needed for every living thing on Earth to grow and function: the genome. Discover how your genome could be the key to maximizing your future quality of life as genomic science helps open the way to more personalized healthcare. See yourself in a new way: as an individual, as a member of a family, and as part of the diversity of life on Earth.
Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code opens January 19 at McWane Science Center and was made possible in part by financial support secured by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. The exhibit is sponsored by UAB Medicine, which is using its knowledge of the human genome to advance the field of precision medicine, an exciting approach to health care that combines the absolute latest in the prediction and prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease to deliver truly individualized patient care.