Spina bifida is the most common nonlethal malformation in the spectrum of NTDs and has an incidence generally around 0.5 per 1,000 births, although higher frequencies have been reported [7–11]. In the United Kingdom, the population prevalence of spina bifida is 7.8–8.4 per 10,000 for males and 9.0–9.4 per 10,000 for females . While the prevalence in the United States of America is more than 3 in every 10,000 births [8, 13], studies in parts of Asia, such as Malaysia, have also shown a lower occurrence of spina bifida than that of the UK . More recent efforts by our group (“Spina Bifida: A 10-Year Retrospective Study at University of Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia,” manuscript in submission), however, have found that the lower rate of NTDs may not be completely representative as in our hospital alone from the years 2003 to 2012 we have had over 10 cases of neural tube defects per year (spina bifida and anencephaly). Furthermore, certain regions of China have shown much higher preponderance of this condition than in other parts of the world [15–18]. In Africa, for example, spina bifida has been recorded as being low in occurrence in comparison to other birth defects but questions have arisen with regard to record-taking and data management . Gender preponderance differs according to country; in the USA, spina bifida is thought to be more prevalent in girls than in boys [20, 21].