Research ReportMyelomeningocele: How we can improve the assessment of the most severe form of spina bifida

•Folate supplements reduce but do not eliminate the incidences of spina bifida.•In utero surgical repair of the spina bifida defect promotes better recovery of function than, neonatal surgery.•Further improvements in prenatal and preventive treatment approaches for spina bifida are needed to advance treatments.•Standardized and quantitative outcome measures can improve the assessment of MMC and, are essential to determine the efficacy of treatment strategies in preclinical animal models.

Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a devastating spinal cord birth defect, which results in significant life-long disabilities, impaired quality of life, and difficult medical management. The pathological progression of MMC involves failure in neural tube and vertebral arch closure at early gestational ages, followed by subsequent impairment in spinal cord and vertebral growth during fetal development. MMC is irreversible at term. Thus, prenatal therapeutic strategies that interrupt progressive pathological processes offer an appealing approach for treatment of MMC. However, a thorough understanding of pathological progression of MMC is mandatory for appropriate treatment to be rendered.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Spinal cord injury.