Table II.
Spina bifida cases by lesion level, pregnancy outcome, and fortification period
| Lesion level | Total cases |
Prefortification period |
Postfortification period |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | SB | NLB | Total | % of total cases | LB | SB | NLB | Total | % of total cases | LB | SB | NLB | Total | % of total cases | |
| Upper* | 249 | 17 | 52 | 318 | 12.3 | 104 | 6 | 31 | 141 | 24.6 | 145 | 11 | 21 | 177 | 8.8 |
| Cervical | 25 | 6 | 7 | 38 | 1.5 | 7 | — | 5 | 13 | 2.3 | 18 | 5 | — | 25 | 1.2 |
| Thoracic | 221 | 10 | 45 | 276 | 10.6 | 97 | 5 | 26 | 128 | 22.3 | 124 | 5 | 19 | 148 | 7.3 |
| Lower* | 1718 | 110 | 279 | 2109 | 81.3 | 305 | 25 | 70 | 400 | 69.8 | 1413 | 85 | 209 | 1709 | 84.6 |
| Lumbar | 1498 | 75 | 231 | 1806 | 69.6 | 270 | 17 | 65 | 352 | 61.4 | 1228 | 58 | 166 | 1454 | 72.0 |
| Sacral | 211 | 32 | 42 | 285 | 11.0 | 32 | 7 | 5 | 44 | 7.7 | 179 | 25 | 37 | 241 | 11.9 |
| Total† | 2080 | 156 | 355 | 2593 | — | 429 | 36 | 108 | 573 | — | 1651 | 120 | 247 | 2020 | — |
LB, live births; NLB, terminations and other nonlive births (including pregnancy losses before 20 wk of gestation); SB, stillbirths (pregnancy losses at 20 or more wk of gestation).
*
Upper lesion level cases include cervical, thoracic, and upper not otherwise specified (NOS). Upper NOS contributed to <0.2% of upper-level cases. Lower lesion level cases include lumbar, sacral, and lower NOS. Lower NOS contributed to <0.7% of lower-level cases.
†
Total includes lesion level NOS and unknown/missing.