In this day and age, the prognosis for spina bifida is excellent. Pediatric neurosurgeon Ruth Bristol, MD, associate program director of Pediatric Neurosurgery and director of Craniofacial Neurosurgery, and Kristi Boles, MD, medical director of Phoenix Children’s Spina Bifida Clinic, discuss what parents and providers should know about spina bifida and about Phoenix Children’s long history of helping kids with complex medical conditions.
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Spina bifida is typically diagnosed during a second trimester routine ultrasound. It's really important for families who have a prenatal diagnosis of spina buda to be referred early because there are interventions that can happen but need to be need to take place before uh 26 weeks of gestation. When I get the opportunity to meet with a parent who has recently learned that their child is going to have spina bifida. I try to provide them with as much information as possible because I believe that knowledge is power. This is a diagnosis that affects a great many parts of the body. And so being able to understand how each of those parts is going to be affected and then know what's going to be needed to cover that. I think can give people some peace of mind and make something that might initially seem overwhelming. A little bit more manageable. Phoenix. Children's started Spina Buda Clinic approximately three years ago and have grown tremendously. Um We are part of the National Spin Buffet Association Clinical Care Partner and hold that certification. The most important thing to know is that there is hope um kids with spina bea do very well and have great outcomes and a great future ahead of them. I think the strengths of our program here at Phoenix Children's are that each individual department is very strong to start with. We have a team of dedicated specialists that are interested in caring for the whole patient. And so then uh when those providers come together to provide comprehensive care, uh it kind of multiplies or builds on itself. I think we have, we have a really great team in this day and age. The prognosis for spina bifida is excellent.
