Abstract
In status dysraphicus there is dysplasia of the spinal cord and also defective development of the mesoderm and ectoderm in the midline of the dorsum of the embryo. Whilst there is no possibility of correcting the dysplasia of the spinal cord, the abnormalities of the other tissues, so far as they affect the spinal cord and nerve roots, are capable of surgical treatment. The methods of doing this in cases of spina bifida cystica are well known, but it is less well known that the aberrant non-neural tissues may cause delayed effects by interfering with nerve conduction as a result of growth during childhood.
The authors have operated upon more than 80 cases of spina bifida occulta and the types of abnormality found are described and classified. Their relationship to spina bifida cystica is discussed.
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Lassman, L., James, C. Spina bifida cystica and occulta some aspects of spinal dysraphism. Spinal Cord 2, 96–99 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1964.18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1964.18