Spina bifida occulta is best described as which of the following?

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Multiple Choice

Spina bifida occulta is best described as which of the following?

Spina bifida occulta is a mild neural tube defect where the vertebral arches don’t fuse, but the spinal cord and meninges do not herniate. Because there’s no protrusion, it tends to be the least severe form and is often asymptomatic, sometimes discovered incidentally on imaging or suggested by a small tuft of hair, a dimple, or a birthmark over the lower spine. It’s not a brain malformation, nor simply a skin condition, and it differs from more serious forms that involve protrusion of the spinal cord or meninges. The other forms cause visible protrusion or neurological problems, which is why this description—being the most common and least severe form without protrusion—best matches spina bifida occulta.

Spina bifida occulta is a mild neural tube defect where the vertebral arches don’t fuse, but the spinal cord and meninges do not herniate. Because there’s no protrusion, it tends to be the least severe form and is often asymptomatic, sometimes discovered incidentally on imaging or suggested by a small tuft of hair, a dimple, or a birthmark over the lower spine. It’s not a brain malformation, nor simply a skin condition, and it differs from more serious forms that involve protrusion of the spinal cord or meninges. The other forms cause visible protrusion or neurological problems, which is why this description—being the most common and least severe form without protrusion—best matches spina bifida occulta.

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