Case 1 - Spina bifida Flashcards
1
Q
- What were the findings of the Black report?
- What did the whitehall 2 study find?
- What are the 3 explanations for social inequality and health outcomes?
A
- Likelihood of a person becoming ill is strongly linked to the social and economic heirarchy
- There is a strong correlation between health outcomes and socioeconomic status
- Natural & Cultural & materialist explanations
2
Q
- What does the natural/social selection explanation say?
- What does the cultural explanation say?
- What does the materialist explanation say?
A
- The poor are more likely to have problems which increase their poverty or ill health
- Poor people have poor diets, and habits which then leads to unhealthy lives.
- People are unhealthy or hazardous due to societies organisation
3
Q
- At what age is a person presumed to have capacity?
- At the age of 16 what can a person do?
- If serious treatment is needed, which guidelines are used?
- What do the Fraser guidelines state? (3)
- What does the gillick ruling apply to?
- How many parents’ consent is adequate?
- What are the rights of a child to confidentiality?
A
- 18 yrs old
- Consent to non-life threatening treatment
- Fraser guidelines
- Assess the maturity and understanding of the individual, they should be able to understand the complexity of the decision and know and understand the consequences of their decision
- Contraception and sexual health advice
- 1 parent is sufficient
- Same as an adult
4
Q
- What is the relationship between folic acid and spina bifida (SB)?
- What is the function of folic acid in the body?
- What is folic acid converted into? Where is this done?
- What is this intermediate then converted into?
- When must a mother take folic acid, in order to decrease the risk of SB? Why?
- Where does the embryo take folate from if the mother is deficient?
A
- FA can prevent spina bifida
- Used to make pyrimadines, and purines, & Methylation & Production of NT’s
- Converted into dihydrofolate, in the gut
- THF
- Before conception, as during neural tube development the embryo is not connected to the mother so her stores wont affect it
- Liver
5
Q
- Which part of the neural tube fails to close in ancephaly?
- Which part of the neural tube fails to close in SB?
- What are the 4 causes of neurodevelopmental defects?
- What is Cranial Rachiasisis?
- What is Lissencephally?
- What is Microcephaly?
A
- Top
- Bottom
- Genetic, Metabolic disorders (Phenylketonuria), Environmental (Alcohol, Nutritional deficiencies), or complications of infection etc.
- Open neural tube
- Smooth brain, with no convolutions. Cells dont stop migrating to the surface of the brain
- Small brain, due to failure to generate migration into the developing brain
6
Q
- What is Holodposencephally?
- Why are brain tumours more common in babies?
- What is Ancephaly?
- What is Encephalocele?
- What is Hydrocephalus?
- What is the treatment?
A
- Failure of the brain to split on the midline, incompatible with life when severe.
- Because there is rapid growth, so more chances for mistakes
- Brain and meninges stick out from back of the babies head.
- Collection of too much CSF in the brain, rise in pressure in the cranium
- Shunt into the brain to drain the CSF, must remain for the life of the patient
7
Q
- What are the 3 types of Spina bifida?
- Which region is most commonly affected?
A
- Spina bifida occulta, Meningocele, Myelomeningeocele
- Lumbosaccral region
8
Q
- What is Spina Bifida Occulta?
- What causes the hair growth on the skin outside?
- How is it treated?
A
- Opening in vertebrae of spinal cord, NO damage to spinal cord
- Growth factors in the CSF
- Surgery to repair the opening
9
Q
- What is Meningocele?
- How common is it?
- What is found in the sac?
A
- Spine is open and meningocele (Sac) protrudes
- Rarest type
- Meninges and spinal fluid + NO neural tissue
10
Q
- What is a myelomeningocele?
- What does the sac contain?
- What is the biggest risk if it is open?
- What are the possible results?
- What is there an increased risk of?
A
- Opening in spinal cord
- Meninges and spinal nerves
- Infection
- Legs can be left paralysed, due to nerves being exposed, can also affect bowel movements
- Risk of tethered cord syndrome later in life
11
Q
- What are the environmental factors causing SB? (4)
- What pharmacological agents can cause SB?
- What genetic factors can cause SB? (3)
A
- Folic acid deficiency, Low parity, Low socioeconomic status, and diabetes & Obesity
- Sodium Valproate
- Trisomy 13, 18, MTHFR gene
12
Q
- What is looked at in blood samples when diagnosing SB?
- Why would there be increased AFP?
- What is the lemon sign?
- How does it happen?
- When does it disappear?
- What causes it to regain its shape later? (2)
A
- High Alpha fetoprotein levels
- Leaks into the maternal blood as the neural tube is open
- Shape of fetal skull, as the frontal bones appear concave or flattened (Like top of lemon)
- Decrease in intraspinal pressure, so brain shifts down – decrease in intracranial pressure so there cranium implodes
- 24 weeks
- Increase strength in bones or Hydrocephalus (Increases pressure again)
13
Q
- When are the first pregnancy ultrasound scans taken?
- When are the 2nd scans taken? For what reason?
A
- 8-14 weeks
- 18-21 weeks, Anomaly scan
14
Q
- What are the other signs of SB?
- What is the banana sign?
- What is it associated with?
- When does it disappear?
- Where is it seen?
- What is lost?
A
- Ventriculomegaly, Microcephaly
- Cerebellum wrapped around the brainstem, spinal cord tethering
- Chiari 2 malformation
- 24 weeks
- Posterior cranial fossa
- Cisterna magna
15
Q
Identify:
- Lemon sign
- Banana sign
- Ventriculomegaly
A
16
Q
- What are Chiari malformations?
- What is a primary chiari malformation?
- What is a secondary chiari malformation?
A
- Structural defect in the cerebellum
- Caused by structural defect in brain and spinal cord during fetal development
- CM caused when CSF is drained excessively, or due to injury, or infection