Meningomyelocele is a rare disease, the lesion occurs to one out of 5,000 children. It occurs in new born babies only due to back bone failing to close before the birth.
The infant may also suffer from partial to complete paralysis, or a lack of sensation, as well as weakness and the loss of bladder and bowel control. He may also suffer from other birth defects, such as clubfoot, or abnormal legs or feet. The baby may also have hydrocephalus, which is an excess fluid in the skull.
This type of birth defect is also called a neural tube defect. The spinal cord and the meninges (the tissue that covers the spinal cord) may actually protrude through the child’s back.