Urological pathology in patients with spina bifida: a review

Spina bifida is a developmental defect of the spinal cord and / or spine that results from abnormal closure of the embryonic neural tube. Many factors have been described to determine the risks of developing this pathology, but the incidence of the defect is still high. 61 % of patients with Spina bifida have neurogenic bladder dysfunction based on intravesical hypertension, which contributes to reverse urethral flow and bladder-uretero-renal reflux associated with chronic inflammatory and obstructive urinary tract disease. In 25-50 % of patients with Spina bifida, urological pathology is complicated by the development of chronic kidney disease, which significantly reduces the quality of life of these patients. In some types of Spina bifida, urological symptoms may be prominent or even isolated and may indicate the presence of the malformation. Therefore, early diagnosis of Spina bifida and timely prophylactic and therapeutic measures are of particular importance.