Spina bifida is best defined as:

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Multiple Choice

Spina bifida is best defined as:

Spina bifida is defined by incomplete closure of the neural tube along the spine. In early development, the neural tube should close to form the brain and spinal cord; when closure fails, the vertebral arches do not fuse properly over the spinal cord, creating a neural tube defect that can range from occult to open forms. This description best captures the condition's underlying pathology. The other statements describe different conditions—protrusion of brain tissue through the skull refers to an encephalocele, lack of brain development above the brainstem to anencephaly, and inflammation of spinal nerves to neuritis or related inflammatory processes.

Spina bifida is defined by incomplete closure of the neural tube along the spine. In early development, the neural tube should close to form the brain and spinal cord; when closure fails, the vertebral arches do not fuse properly over the spinal cord, creating a neural tube defect that can range from occult to open forms. This description best captures the condition's underlying pathology. The other statements describe different conditions—protrusion of brain tissue through the skull refers to an encephalocele, lack of brain development above the brainstem to anencephaly, and inflammation of spinal nerves to neuritis or related inflammatory processes.

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