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[mumto3]

Where to start? My son (who is 7) had a cervical neck x-ray due to a neck injury. He was play wrestling with another boy and injured his neck. He was in severe pain so I took him to the hospital. They ordered an x-ray, it came back and the doctor told me he was fine...just a muscle. This was on a Thursday. I received a call from the hospital on Sunday morning from the doctor saying his x-ray came back abnormal, the Radiologist wants a CT scan. On the way back to the nurses station I peeked at the x-ray report. It stated flexion deformity at C2-C3 and Spina Bifida Occulta at C1!!!!
I was shocked as I didn't realze he had Spina Bifida. He is normal..walks, runs, climbs. My boy is a monkey :)
We go to see a doctor (ours is on Mat leave) today so he can explain everything to us. I've done researched but can't come up with a lot of info...especially on spina bifida this high up on the spine. All the info Ive read seems that spina bifida is mostly in the lumbar/sacral region...sometimes in the Thoraiac region.
Does anyone have or know of anyone with Spina Bifida Oculta in the cervial region?
Thank you!

[angel]

Hey,

My son has SBO at pretty much every region from his neck to a completely missing tail bone (sacral agenesis) In other words he has 3 normal vertibre the rest are abnormal. His was found at birth. I believe the reason his was found at birth is because i have Spina Bifida Myleomeningocele and they were checking him over because of my disability.

He walks, runs, plays etc... You would never know he has it if someone didn't tell you. With him there are a few signs that would give it away to the "Trained eye" His gate is off ever so slightly, when he bends down at the waiste you can tell there is nothing below a certian level of his spine it looks like his hips are up to high.

Your son sounds like his is much less severe. My son had his neck fused at the C1 C2 level almost 2 years ago (he was 10 years old then) because his neck was unstable and the doctors were afraid if he ever got into a semi serious accident it could paralize him from the neck down. Please don't let that alarm you as i am sure your doctors are taking good care of your son and will tell you if they fear his neck is unstable. Now that my son has had the surgery he is solid able to do anything he pleases with the exception of football.

SBO is the least severe form of SB. It does the least amount of damage if any. If you have any questions feel free to ask me i will be more than happy to share.

Angel

[Dodger67]

All I would like to add is, because neural tube defects run in families, all your and your spouse's first and second degree relatives who are of childbearing age need to be advised to go for genetic counselling. If they are planning to have children the prospective mother must take precautions - folic acid 5mg/day starting at least 3 months before stopping contraception until at least the end of the first trimester.
I have myleomeningocele, I have one paternal first cousin with occulta and one maternal first cousin had anencaphaly (mercifully she died within a few weeks).

[mverive]

As you probably know by now, SBO is fairly common, with some sources stating that it occurs in approximately 10% of the general population.

Flexion deformity at C2-C3 may be something referred to as "pseudo-subluxation", which is a medical term that means there is a false appearance of subluxation (overridding of one vertebra over another). Children have relatively supple ligaments, and the supple ligaments that hold C2 over C3 often give the appearance of subluxation. In the absence of pain (or actual ligamentous injury, usually detected best on MRI), this is a normal finding.

Similar with SBO of C1 - it is an incidental finding, and doesn't imply any risk for injury.