Criteria for Diagnosis:

Spina bifida is often diagnosed before birth. There are some cases (in instances where spina bifida is
mild, such as spina bifida occulta) where symptoms are unnoticed until after the child is born.

Prenatal Diagnosis

• During the second trimester, if there is an unusually high amount of alphafetoprotein in the
mother’s bloodstream, this indicates to doctors that the fetus has a neural tube defect. (This is
determined through a maternal serum alpha fetoprotein and ultra sound.)

• A discovery of high amounts of alpha-fetoprotein will call for additional testing. Teston include:
ultrasound or amniocentesis to help determine if spina bifida is present. Amniocentesis cannot
determine how severe the spina bifida is, but it can determine for certain whether it is present.

Postnatal Diagnosis

• Mild cases can be detected postnatally through X-ray examinations. A magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) or a computed tomography (CT) scan can reveal a clearer view of the spine and vertebrae.
These exams can reveal if spina bifida occulta is present.

Characteristics of the most severe form of spina bifida, Myelomeningocele

• Paralysis or muscle weakness below the area of the spine where the incomplete closure or cleft
occurs.

• Loss of sensation below the cleft.

• Loss of bowel and bladder control.