Neural Tube Defects: From origin to treatment

Neural tube defects affect about 4000 pregnancies a year and are thus among the most common of severe birth defects. Prenatal diagnosis can now detect about 70% of neural tube defects, but the tests produce many false positives, so the question is under what circumstances should they be recommended to pregnant women. This comprehensive volume - the collective knowledge of more than fifty-five experts in the field - provides lucid and authoritative discussions on this topic as well as on a wide variety of theoretical, experimental and clinical issues. The book is divided into three sections. Section I addresses embryology of the central nervous system, clinical features, epidemiology, and the genetics of neural tube defects. Providing a strong explanation of the mechanisms involved in NTDs formation and the genetic and environmental factors involved in their etiology, it guides the reader through the steps of diagnosis and the classification of the different types of NTDs. Section II describes in detail the assessment and treatment of the needs of individuals with NTDs. Prenatal and postnatal surgical techniques, orthopedic and urological management, genetic counselling and communication, psychological adjustment, and the transition to adulthood (including sexuality and toilet training) for patients with spina bifida are discusses. Section III presents new areas of emerging interest to society-at-large, such as how and when to fortify foods to prevent NTDs, the costs of treatment of individuals with NTDs, coverage of health care, quality of life, and the ethics of contemporary medical management. Written with a wide readership in mind, this book will be of interest to geneticists, paediatricians, neurologists, internists, graduate students, researchers interested in the field of birth defects, as well as to individuals with NTDs and their family members.

Table of Contents:
SECTION I BASIC PRINCIPLES: Part I Clinical and Molecular Embryology of the Central Nervous System: 1: Marianne Bronner-Fraser: Neural Crest Formation 2: Nicholas D.E. Greene, Andrew J. Copp: The Embryonic Basis of Neural Tube Defects 3: Hakryul Jo, Laura Anne Lowery, Vincent Tropepe, Hazel Sive: The Zebrafish as a Model for Analyzing Neural Tube Defects 4: Ellen M. Carpenter: Genetic Regulation of Early Nervous System Development Part II Clinical Features of Neural Tube Defects: 5: Stuart L. Weinstein, Sergio A. Mendoza: Physical Examination of the Spine 6: Classification of Neural Tube Defects Cynthia A. Moore 7: Roger E. Stevenson, Laurie H. Seaver: Syndromes with Neural Tube Defects 8: Cary R. Templin, John F. Sarwark: The Tethered Cord Syndrome 9: Glenn J. Gardener, Charles H. Rodeck: Prenatal Screening and Diagnosis of Neural Tube Defects Part III Epidemiology of Neural Tube Defects: 10: Russell S. Kirby: Methodological Issues in the Study of Neural Tube Defects 11: Lowell E. Sever: Birth Defects Surveillance Systems and Neural Tube Defects 12: Rolv T. Lie: An International Perspective on Anencephaly and Spina Bifida: Prevalences by the Turn of the Century 13: Diego F. Wyszynski: Maternal Exposure to Selected Environmental Factors and Risk for Neural Tube Defects in the Offspring Part IV. Genetics of Neural Tube Defects: 14: Evadnie Rampersaud, Elizabeth C. Melvin, Marcy C. Speer: Nonsyndromic Neural Tube Defects: Genetic Basis and Genetic Investigations 15: Rima Rozen: Genetic Risk Factors for Neural Tube Defects: Variants in Folate Metabolism 16: Sonja A. Rasmussen, Jaime L. Frias: Genetics of Syndromic Neural Tube Defects 17: Andrew J. Copp, Nicholas D.E. Greene, Jennifer N. Murdoch: Mouse Mutants as Models of Neural Tube Defects SECTION II TREATMENT AND EDUCATION: 18: Kelly A. Bennett, George H. Davis, Noel Tulipan, Joseph P. Bruner: Fetal Surgery for Myelomeningocele 19: Jonathan P. Miller, Alan R. Cohen: Postnatal Surgery for Myelomeningocele 20: Harold L. Rekate: Neurosurgical Management of Adults with Spina Bifida 21: Luciano Dias: Orthopedic Surgery 22: David B. Joseph: Urological Care and Management of Patients with Neural Tube Defects 23: Gregory S. Liptak: Cognition, Education, and Learning Disorders 24: Gregory S. Liptak: Transition to Adulthood 25: David B. Shurtleff, Carole A. Sobkowiak, William Walker: Transition/Separation, Toilet Training, and Sexuality 26: Rachel Neff Greenley, Grayson N. Holmbeck, Jill Zukerman, Colleen F. Buck: Psychological Adjustment and Family Relationships in Children and Adolescents with Spina Bifida 27: Sonya G. Oppenheimer: When and How to Communicate with People with Spina Bifida and Their Families 28: Robert A. Saul: Genetic Counseling and Interpretation of Risk Figures SECTION III PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES: 29: Godfrey P. Oakley, Jr.: Preventing All Folic Acid-Preventable Spina Bifida 30: Norman J. Waitzman, Patrick S. Romano, Scott D. Grosse: The Half-Life of Cost-of-Illness Estimates: The Case of Spina Bifida 31: Holly Grason, Jamie J. Perry: Insurance and Coverage of Care for Individuals with Spina Bifida and Other Neural Tube Defects 32: Jim Stevenson, Ineke M. Pit-Ten Cate: Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life in Individuals with Neural Tube Defects 33: Mark J. Bliton: Ethics at the Forefront: Moral Decisions and Responsibility When Confronted with Spina Bifida

Review :
"...my reasons for support are: 1. the topic is now a focus of intense interest 2. the proposed authors are well-qualified 3. the topics covered are appropriately broad and deep 4. Dr. Wyszynski has the overview, organizational skills and energy that he will need to get the collaborators to meet the promised deadline."--Lewis B. Holmes, Harvard Medical School "This book covers a very broad range, and the inclusion of some of the top people in the field, such as Drs. Godfrey Oakley, Craig McDonald and Roger Stevenson, will bring prestige to this book. Diego Wyszynski is early in his career, but he indeed has outlined an excellent group of writers to cover the topics. I believe such a book would be quite timely, and it is well organized with relatively thorough coverage of the field."--Randi Hagerman, University of California, Davis "Yes the proposed book is likely to make a fresh and valuable contribution...The book seems to be organized in a systematic manner...I do expect the book to be of high quality given the line up of the authors."--Muin Khoury, Center for Disease Control and Prevention "...offers a comprehensive, timely, and sobering review of many aspects of neural tube defects and provides a wealth of information that is communicated (for the most part) in a clear and readable fashion."--New England Journal of Medicine "This is an impressive and readable synopsis of the currently available knowledge about this tragic error of early embryological development, and the sequelae which can be so far-reaching and devastating."--Human Genetics "...my reasons for support are: 1. the topic is now a focus of intense interest 2. the proposed authors are well-qualified 3. the topics covered are appropriately broad and deep 4. Dr. Wyszynski has the overview, organizational skills and energy that he will need to get the collaborators to meet the promised deadline."--Lewis B. Holmes, Harvard Medical School "This book covers a very broad range, and the inclusion of some of the top people in the field, such as Drs. Godfrey Oakley, Craig McDonald and Roger Stevenson, will bring prestige to this book. Diego Wyszynski is early in his career, but he indeed has outlined an excellent gorup of writers to cover the topics. I believe such a book would be quite timely, and it is well organized with relatively thorough coverage of the field."--Randi Hagerman, University of California, Davis "Yes the proposed book is likely to make a fresh and valuable contribution...The book seems to be organized in a systematic manner...I do expect the book to be of high quality given the line up of the authors."--Muin Khoury, Center for Disease Control and Prevention "...offers a comprehensive, timely, and sobering review of many aspects of neural tube defects and provides a wealth of information that is communicated (for the most part) in a clear and readable fashion."--New England Journal of Medicine "This is an impressive and readable synopsis of the currently available knowledge about this tragic error of early embryological development, and the sequelae which can be so far-reaching and devastating."--Human Genetics