Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of open spinal dysraphism in the cervical verterbrae. Case report.

Spinal dysraphisms are lesions that can be identified at ultrasound screening examination from the second trimester of pregnancy, the majority being localized in the lumbosacral region. We present the case of prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of a 18 weeks fetus with cervical open dysraphism, a rare localization of open spinal dysraphisms. The alteration of cerebral normal anatomy was first identified; further examination showed the spinal defect with cervical location associated with a posterior cystic mass, the meningomyelocele.

Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of neural tube defects. Pictorial essay.

Neural tube defects (NTD) are a heterogeneous group of malformations resulting from failure of normal neural tube closure before the fourth and fifth week of embryologic development. The three most common forms of NTD are: anencephaly, encephalocele and spinal dysraphism. Less common forms of neural tube defects include iniencephaly, amniotic bands and other types of spinal abnormalities including scoliosis/cyphosis, sacral agenesis, limb-body wall complex, diastematomyelia.