Forty-seven patients with lipomyelomeningocele ranging in age from 27 days to 24 years, were studied with respect to the clinical and surgical management. Correlation between the severity of disability and the age of diagnosis indireectly supports the argument that lipomyelomenigocele is a progressive disease.Our results would indicate that with surgical repair early in infancy the vast majority of patients can remain neurologically intact. The likelhood of reversing neurological deficit with surgical treatment decreases with age and for this reason it is important to treat these children early, before they have developed any neurological deficit. Thus, all patinets with lipomyelomeningocele should undergo prophylactic surgical intervention as soon as the diagnosis is made.
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