Predicting orthopedic involvement in patients with lipomyelomeningoceles.
BACKGROUND
Lipomyelomeningoceles (LMM) occur in approximately 1 in every 4,000 live births in the United States. They are associated with a wide range of problems in affected patients, including skin abnormalities, sensory and motor deficits, pain, urinary bladder and anal sphincter dysfunction, and orthopedic deformities.


METHODS
In an effort to better understand the orthopedic complications associated with LMM, the present study examined the long-term orthopedic deformities in 50 patients after surgical correction of their LMM and observed for correlation between these deformities and the type and level of LMM.


RESULTS
Analysis of the collected data revealed a statistically significant relationship between of the type of LMM and the presence of orthopedic complications. However, no statistically significant relationship existed between the vertebral level of the LMM and the presence of orthopedic deformities. No correlation was identified between the level and type of LMM.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, caudal LMM were much more likely than either dorsal or transitional types to have orthopedic complications. These data may prove useful to clinicians in predicting outcome and in counseling patients and their parents.
Tubbs
R Shane
RS
Division of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA. rstubbs@uab.edu
Winters
Richard G
RG
Naftel
Robert P
RP
Acharya
Veena K
VK
Conklin
Michael
M
Shoja
Mohammadali M
MM
Loukas
Marios
M
Oakes
W Jerry
WJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery