hairy patch?

[joeDO2]

---

Members do not see this ad.

hello all,

in studying spina bifida, all of the textbooks describe a hairy patch as a hallmark sign of the disease. i was just curious if anyone knew the mechanism / cause of this? thanks in advance

 

[Narrative]

hello all,

in studying spina bifida, all of the textbooks describe a hairy patch as a hallmark sign of the disease. i was just curious if anyone knew the mechanism / cause of this? thanks in advance

I know this doesn't answer your question in a lot of detail, but the article does discuss which external signs are actually more suggestive of spina bifida.

"Spinal dysraphism refers to a spectrum of congenital anomalies characterized by an incomplete fusion of the midline mesenchymal, bony, or neural elements of the spine. As skin and nervous tissue are of ectodermal origin, anomalies of both may occur simultaneously. Occult spinal dysraphism (OSD) is characterized by skin-covered lesions without exposed neural tissue."

http://archderm.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/140/9/1109

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]
.