title: Myelomeningocele: How we can improve the assessment of the most severe form of spina bifida.
abstract: Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a devastating spinal cord birth defect, which results in significant life-long disabilities, impaired quality of life, and difficult medical management. The pathological progression of MMC involves failure in neural tube and vertebral arch closure at early gestational ages, followed by subsequent impairment in spinal cord and vertebral growth during fetal development. MMC is irreversible at term. Thus, prenatal therapeutic strategies that interrupt progressive pathological processes offer an appealing approach for treatment of MMC. However, a thorough understanding of pathological progression of MMC is mandatory for appropriate treatment to be rendered. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Spinal cord injury.
authors.affiliation: Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Research Center and Center for Neural Repair and Rehabilitation, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Temple University School of Medicine Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA.
authors.forename: George M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Research Center and Center for Neural Repair and Rehabilitation, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA; Department of Neurology, Temple University School of Medicine Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA. Electronic address: krynskb@tuhs.temple.edu.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Krynska
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D016137:Spina Bifida Cystica / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography
keywords: Birth defects; Micro-computed tomography; Myelomeningocele; Spina bifida; Spinal cord injury; Vertebral defects