Other Names for this Disease
- Cleft spine
- Open spine
- Spinal dysraphism
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On this page
- ClinicalTrials.gov lists trials that are studying or have studied Spina bifida. Click on the link to go to ClinicalTrials.gov to read descriptions of these studies.
- In 1994 doctors began trying out various methods for closing spina bifida defects while the baby is still in the mother's womb. Since that time, many improvements have been made in the procedure. It is still not known, however, whether it is better to operate on a baby with spina bifida before or after it is born. A research study called Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS) is designed to answer that question. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a part of The National Institutes of Health (NIH), has funded this study to compare how babies who have prenatal surgery do compared to those who have postnatal surgery. MOMS is a research study designed to compare two approaches to the treatment of babies with spina bifida: surgery before birth (prenatal or fetal surgery) and surgery after birth (postnatal surgery). To learn more about this research study, visit the MOMS Web site.