Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 May 22;24(1):350.
doi: 10.1186/s12887-024-04837-5.

Patterns and short term neurosurgical treatment outcomes of neonates with neural tube defects admitted to Felege Hiwot Specialized Hospital, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Yohannes Addisu  1 , Gizachew Tadesse Wassie  2
Affiliations

Patterns and short term neurosurgical treatment outcomes of neonates with neural tube defects admitted to Felege Hiwot Specialized Hospital, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Yohannes Addisu et al. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Neural tube defects (NTDs) account for the largest proportion of congenital anomalies of the central nervous system and result from failure of the neural tube to close spontaneously between the 3rd and 4th weeks of in utero development. Prognosis and treatment outcome depends on the nature and the pattern of the defect. The nature of treatment outcomes and its pattern associated with grave prognosis is not well known in the study area.

Objective: The aim of study was to determine the patterns and short term neurosurgical management outcomes of newborns with neural tube defects admitted at Felege Hiwot Specialized Hospital.

Methods: Institutional based retrospective cross-sectional study among neonates, who were admitted at Felege Hiwot Specialized Hospital with neural tube defects from January 1st to December, 30th, 2018 was conducted. All Charts of Neonates with confirmed diagnosis of neural tube defects were included as part of the study. Trained data collectors (medical interns) supervised by trained supervisors (general practitioners) collected the data using a pretested data extraction format. Data were coded, entered and analyzed using SPSS version 23 software. Frequency and cross tabulations were used to summarize descriptive statistics of data, and tables and graphs were used for data presentation.

Result: About 109 patients had complete documentation and imaging confirmed neural tube defects. Myelomeningocele was the commonest pattern 70 (64.2%). Thoracolumbar spine was the commonest site of presentation 49(45%). The most common associated impairment was hydrocephalus 37(33.9%). Forty-five (41.1%) had multiple complications. The mortality rate was 7.3%, 44% were discharged with sequalae and 36.7% were discharged without impairment. The significant causes of death were infection 66.7% and Chiari crisis 33.3%.

Conclusion: Myelomeningocele was the most frequent clinical pattern of neural tube defect and thoracolumbar spine was the commonest site. Isolated neural tube defect was the commonest finding. There were multiple complications after surgery accompanied with meningitis and hydrocephalus. The mortality rate among neonates with neural tube defects was considerably high. The commonest causes of death were infection and Chiari crisis.

Keywords: Child health; Ethiopia; Neonates; Neural surgery; Neural tube defects; Outcome; Pattern.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Complications after neurosurgical procedure among neonates with NTD in FHSH, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Gedefaw A, Teklu S, Tadesse BT. Magnitude of Neural Tube Defects and Associated Risk Factors at Three Teaching Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Biomed Res Int. 2018;2018:4829023. 10.1155/2018/4829023. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Motah M, Moumi M, Ndoumbe A, Ntieafac C, Djiencthe VDP. Pattern and management of neural tube defect in Cameroon. Open J Mod Neurosurg. 2017;7:87–102. doi: 10.4236/ojmn.2017.73010. - DOI
    1. Gemechu Sorri M, Eyasu MM. Patterns of neural tube defects at two teaching hospitals in Addis Ababa three years prospective study. Med J. 2015;53(3):119–126. - PubMed
    1. Blencowe H, Kancherla V, Moorthie S, Darlison MW, Modell B. Estimates of global and regional prevalence of neural tube defects for 2015: a systematic analysis. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2018;1414(1):31–46. doi: 10.1111/nyas.13548. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Thompson DNP. Postnatal management and outcome for neural tube defectsincluding spina bifida and encephalocoeles. 2008. p. 10. wwwintersciencewileycom. - PubMed