Treatments for neural tube defects such as spina bifida do not work as the child is not stable enough to receive them, or they are complicated by other accompanying conditions that have developed alongside rachischisis.There has, however, been one reported successful treatment of rachischisis. The fetus was able to have the spinal shunt closed surgically. However, during this treatment several resuscitations were required and these caused trauma to the chest. Despite the closing of the shunt, extreme developmental inhibition was expected, and the prognosis was still extremely poor. This sparked questions as to whether this sort of treatment was ethical on fetuses. The fetus in this case had developed rachischisis without any indications of acrania. This is not typical of most cases, so this treatment would not be possible in the majority of cases of the condition.Due to the lack of treatments available for rachischisis, there is a focus on prevention of the disease. Folate supplementation is recommended before conception (if possible) and through to early pregnancy. There are many products on the market to assist with this. Products marketed towards reducing the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defects are recommended to reduce the risk of rachischisis. See also
Cranioschisis
Spina bifida

References


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Contraindications
Calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to either glucocorticoids or vitamin D or disorders in calcium metabolism. This drug is also contraindicated for patients with erythrodermic, exfoliative, or pustular psoriasis. Adverse effects
A number of clinical studies have been conducted to investigate possible adverse events of this fixed combination corticosteroid and vitamin D analog. Safety and tolerability of calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate (Cal/BD) ointment has been assessed in a combined total of 2448 patients, exposed to treatment for 4 or 8 weeks (median weekly dose of 24.5 g). The most common adverse events for patients receiving Cal/BD were pruritus (3.1%), headache (2.8%), and nasopharyngitis (2.3%). Lesional/perilesional adverse events, defined as an adverse event located ≤2 cm from the lesional border, were reported by 8.7% of patients treated with Cal/BD ointment. Median time to onset of lesional/perilesional adverse events was 7 days.Adverse events during treatment with the foam formulation have been evaluated in three 4-week randomized, multicenter, prospective vehicle- and/or active-controlled clinical trials of subjects with plaque psoriasis. The median weekly dose was 24.8 g. Application site irritation, application site pruritus (itching), folliculitis (inflammation of hair follicles), skin hypopigmentation (loss of skin color), hypercalcemia (increased blood calcium levels), urticaria, and exacerbation of psoriasis were reported in <1% of subjects. Local long-term adverse effects of continuous steroid exposure may include skin atrophy, stretch marks, telangiectasia (spider veins), dryness, local infections, and miliaria ("prickly heat").