Environmental triggers for NTDs that are being studied include viruses, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, chemicals, drugs, and maternal illness like diabetes. If you know ahead of time that your baby may be born with an NTD, you can arrange for prompt and expert medical treatment. The AFP screening test measures the amount of a substance called alpha-fetaprotein in the mother's blood. The most severe neural tube defects will often leak AFP resulting in an increase in AFP levels in the mother's bloodstream. The AFP test should be performed between 16 and 18 weeks of pregnancy.
Doctors try to remove the cyst protruding from the spine and cover the wound with muscle and skin.
Even this, however, may not prevent paralysis of the legs and lack of feeling. Fluid must be drained from the brains of babies who develop hydrocephalus. A special tube is inserted to help this excess fluid pass out of the body. The therapist teaches parents how to exercise their baby's feet and legs to prepare for walking with leg braces and crutches. Some children will need instruction to use wheelchairs.