Tweatment & Management

* Jess, feel free to add stuff :) *

Surgery
· May be used to close the lesion and reduce the risk of infection.
· 1 to 2 days after birth.

Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt
· To treat hydrocephalus
· Insert a tube into the ventricles in the brain where the spinal fluid is produced.
· This is to reduce the pressure on the brain by draining and diverting extra fluid.
· The shunt has a one-way valve on the skull, under the skin behind an ear.
· This allows the excess cerebrospinal fluid to drain out of the brain via another tube into the abdomen or the heart.

Orthopaedic surgery
Leg and feet operations to improve the patient’s mobility.

Aids
· Walking aids
· Crutches
· Wheelchairs


Bladder surgery
To increase bladder size and tighten muscles.
For urinary incontinence
Faecal or urinary bags.

Physical Therapy
Therapists teach parents how to exercise the infant's legs and feet. Walkers, braces, and crutches will often be needed for mobility later in life.

General measures
Regular monitoring of kidney, bladder, shunt and spine functions is required.

The importance of folate

· B-group vitamin.
· Taken daily one month before conception and each day during the first three months of pregnancy, can prevent the occurrence of up to 70 per cent of neural tube defects.
· Women who are pregnant or likely to become pregnant should be offered folic acid supplements of 0.4mg daily.


People in the ‘high risk’ category need to take a higher dose. High risk groups include people who have a:
Previous child with a neural tube defect (NTD)
Family history of NTDs on one or both sides
Close relative with an NTD
Close relative with a child with an NTD
Women taking some anti-epileptic medications such as valproic acid.


Alternative Treatment

Women of child-bearing age should ideally consume up to three kiwifruits a day, take more asparagus, spinach, oranges, bananas and legumes. They should also consume foods fortified with folate, such as some breakfast cereals and bread.

Biofeedback
More aware of signals from the patient’s body.
This may help them regain control over the muscles in the bladder and urethra.

Acupuncture
Provides symptom relief for incontinence.
It helps tone muscle and increase blood flow to the bladder.
It can boost the immune system, soothe inflammation and restore balance to the hormones.

Nutrition
Eliminate foods and drinks that can irritate your bladder, including alcohol, caffeine, foods high in acid (such as tomato or grapefruit), spicy foods, sweetener substitutes and sugars.

References
http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/spina_bifida.html#
http://www.babycenter.com.my/baby/health/spina-bifida/
http://www.myhealth.gov.my/myhealth/eng/template.jsp?showMe=31&storyid=1244538477926
http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=70ff5260-81bd-4de1-9998-14fc98aa9133&chunkiid=11542
http://stanford.wellsphere.com/general-medicine-article/alternative-treatments-for-incontinence/809695
http://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/site/c.liKWL7PLLrF/b.2725875/k.BDDF/Hydrocephalus_and_Shunts_in_the_Person_with_Spina_Bifida.htm