Spina bifida occulta and monozygotic twins

Abstract

Central nervous system maldevelopment can have different presentations in twins. We report on a case of different presentations of spina bifida occulta in monozygotic twins. The first twin presented at birth with a lipomyelomeningocele; a tethered cord was diagnosed in the second twin at 2 years of age. Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a group of common congenital malformations of the brain and spine generated during neurulation. The genetic basis of this process is still not well known. Whenever an NTD is diagnosed in one of a pair of twins, the other twin should also be evaluated for NTDs.