Long-term outcome and complications of children born with meningomyelocele

The long-term functional outcome of 101 children born with meningomyelocele between 1971 and 1981 was assessed, by a combination of retrospective chart review and follow-up assessments. The children had been managed at birth using a process of nonstandardized selection. Eighty-three of the 101 patie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child's nervous system 1992-03, Vol.8 (2), p.92-96
Main Authors: STEINBOK, P, IRVINE, B, COCHRANE, D. D, IRWIN, B. J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of Daily Living
Adolescent
Biological and medical sciences
Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts
Child
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Hydrocephalus - mortality
Hydrocephalus - surgery
Locomotion
Male
Malformations of the nervous system
Medical sciences
Meningomyelocele - mortality
Meningomyelocele - surgery
Neurologic Examination
Neurology
Postoperative Complications - etiology
Postoperative Complications - mortality
Survival Rate
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Summary:The long-term functional outcome of 101 children born with meningomyelocele between 1971 and 1981 was assessed, by a combination of retrospective chart review and follow-up assessments. The children had been managed at birth using a process of nonstandardized selection. Eighty-three of the 101 patients survived after a minimum follow-up of 8.6 years, for a mortality rate of 18%. Forty-four of 83 children (53%) were community ambulators, and this correlated well with the presence of intact quadriceps function. Forty-eight children (58%) attended normal school and were grade-appropriate. Sixty-two of 83 patients (75%) were socially continent of urine, and 71/83 (86%) were socially continent of stool. Hydrocephalus was present in 93 of the 101 children in the study, and 85 children were shunted. Half of the shunted children required a shunt revision in the first year of life, and thereafter the rate of revision decreased, so that after 2 years the risk of revision was approximately 10% per year.
ISSN:0256-7040
1433-0350
DOI:10.1007/BF00298448