Dysraphism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A congenital condition characterized by incomplete fusion of the neural tube during embryonic development resulting in malformations of the spinal cord and surrounding tissues
2. A developmental disorder involving failure in the closure of the neural tube that leads to spinal cord defects and related abnormalities in the vertebrae and skin
3. A birth defect caused by improper closure of the neural tube causing structural anomalies in the spinal column and nervous system components associated with neurological impairment

Etymology: Dysraphism is a modern medical coinage, built entirely from Greek parts. The first element, "dys-", means "bad, ill, difficult" and appears in many English medical terms such as dyspepsia and dysentery. The middle element, "raphe", comes from the Greek "raphē", meaning "seam" or "stitch," the same root that gives English words like "rhapsody," which originally meant something like stitching songs together. The suffix "-ism" marks a condition or state. Taken together, the word names a failure of the embryonic spine to close properly, so that the seam of the neural tube, the structure that becomes the brain and spinal cord, is incomplete. The original sense is therefore literal: a badly stitched seam. Spina bifida is the best-known example of this kind of defect.

Synonyms: neural tube defect