Medical Student Research Forum Posters

Myelomeningocele (MMC), or spina bifida, results from incomplete closure of the spinal cord and spinal canal during gestation, leaving the spinal cord unprotected. Intrauterine chemical and mechanical trauma to the exposed spinal cord results in lifelong lower limb paralysis, bowel and bladder dysfunction, musculoskeletal deformities, and severe cognitive disabilities due to hindbrain herniation in afflicted children. It is the most common congenital cause of lifelong paralysis in the United States, and approximately four children a day are born with this devastating congenital defect.