ReviewNature reviews. Disease primers2015
Spina bifida.
Review in Nature reviews. Disease primers, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 301 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
301 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 637 citations in OpenAlex.
- Outcomes in prenatal vs. postnatal surgery for myelomeningocele: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2025Pooled it
- Clinical and urodynamic findings in children and adolescents with neurogenic bladder undergoing augmentation cystoplasty: a systematic review.Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) · 2025Pooled it
- Folic acid supplementation during preconception period in sub-Saharan African countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Placenta as a source of autologous graft in postnatal correction of myelomeningocele.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2024Pooled it
- Is there a role in the central nervous system development for using corticosteroids to treat meningomyelocele and hydrocephalus?Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2022Pooled it
- Evidence-based position paper of the UEMS PRM on the role of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) physician in the management of children and adults with spinal dysraphism.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Orthopedic management of myelomeningocele with a multidisciplinary approach: a systematic review of the literature.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2021Pooled it
- Long-term Safety and Tolerability of Repeated Treatments With OnabotulinumtoxinA in Children With Neurogenic Detrusor Overactivity.The Journal of urology · 2023Trial
- Amniotic fluid stem cells alleviate neuronal injury-related changes in spina bifida by inducing autophagy via regulating the FOXO1/STAT3 axis.Organogenesis · 2026Article
- Article
- Anatomical-Motor Level Discrepancy in Prenatal Diagnosis of Open Spinal Dysraphism: A 12-Year Retrospective Observational Study.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2026Observational
- Prenatal Cerium Exposure and Neural Tube Defect Risk: A Case-control Study in Shanxi, China.Biological trace element research · 2026Article
- Outcomes of delayed CSF diversion protocol in Infants with lumbosacral myelomeningocele: impact of timing of presentation on hydrocephalus development and postoperative complications.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026Article
- Interhemispheric fissure distortion in fetal open spina bifida: an under-recognized prenatal ultrasound finding.Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology : the official journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2026Article
- Fatigability of elbow muscles in children and adolescents with spina bifida.The journal of spinal cord medicine · 2026Article
- The transition from pediatric to adult healthcare in spina bifida: an interview-based measure.Journal of pediatric psychology · 2026Article
- Myelomeningocele in Slovenia: An 18-Year National Cohort Study.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Gait in childhood and adulthood in persons with myelomeningocele - a retrospective analysis.BMC neurology · 2026Article
- Reciprocal E-cadherin signaling aligns apical surfaces between neighboring epithelial tissues to complete the C. elegans digestive tract.Current biology : CB · 2026Article
- Sleep-related breathing disorders beyond infancy following open spina bifida repair.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
241 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Spina bifida is a birth defect in which the vertebral column is open, often with spinal cord involvement. The most clinically significant subtype is myelomeningocele (open spina bifida), which is a condition characterized by failure of the lumbosacral spinal neural tube to close during embryonic development. The exposed neural tissue degenerates in utero, resulting in neurological deficit that varies with the level of the lesion. Occurring in approximately 1 per 1,000 births worldwide, myelomeningocele is one of the most common congenital malformations, but its cause is largely unknown. The genetic component is estimated at 60-70%, but few causative genes have been identified to date, despite much information from mouse models. Non-genetic maternal risk factors include reduced folate intake, anticonvulsant therapy, diabetes mellitus and obesity. Primary prevention by periconceptional supplementation with folic acid has been demonstrated in clinical trials, leading to food fortification programmes in many countries. Prenatal diagnosis is achieved by ultrasonography, enabling women to seek termination of pregnancy. Individuals who survive to birth have their lesions closed surgically, with subsequent management of associated defects, including the Chiari II brain malformation, hydrocephalus, and urological and orthopaedic sequelae. Fetal surgical repair of myelomeningocele has been associated with improved early neurological outcome compared with postnatal operation. Myelomeningocele affects quality of life during childhood, adolescence and adulthood, posing a challenge for individuals, families and society as a whole. For an illustrated summary of this Primer, visit: http://go.nature.com/fK9XNa.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.