An MRI scan shows a balloon-like sac filled with fluid and tissue bulging from the baby's back. (Image credit: The New England Journal of Medicine ©2024)
A dramatic new image shows a common birth defect has left a newborn baby with a huge, red, balloon-like sac on his lower back.
This image was taken by medical workers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The sac measured about 3 inches (7.7 cm) long, 2.8 inches (7.1 cm) wide and 2.1 inches (5.3 cm) deep. It was caused by a neural tube defect, the second most common type of birth disability after heart defects, affecting between 5 and 8 out of 10,000 newborns in the United States.
The neural tube is a hollow structure that forms in the third and fourth weeks after conception, which then develops into the brain and spinal cord. Sometimes this process is disrupted, causing a gap in the spine in babies, known as spina bifida. This gap is usually covered by skin and causes no symptoms, and many people are not even aware that they have the condition.
However, in some cases, the tissue and fluid that protects the spinal cord is pushed through the gap, creating a bulging sac-like structure. This is what happened to the boy in the picture, who had a special form of spina bifida called a meningocele.
Scientists still don't know what causes spina bifida; however, a combination of genetic, dietary, and environmental factors may increase the likelihood of developing it. For example, if a mother lacks folate or vitamin B9 early in pregnancy, takes certain medications, such as the anti-epileptic drug valproic acid, or has poorly controlled diabetes, the risk of having a baby with spina bifida increases.
However, none of these factors appeared to impact the child's condition in this case, according to a case report published Dec. 28, 2024, in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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(Image credit: Live Science)
The sac-like bulge (pictured above) was caused by a condition known as a meningocele. (Image credit: The New England Journal of Medicine ©2024)
Doctors first noticed the spinal defect during an ultrasound around week 20, or midway through pregnancy. It is not uncommon for patients with meningocele to have minor problems, such as bladder and bowel problems. However, the condition can usually be
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