2- to 20-year myelomeningocele follow-up outcomes from a referral center in Southern Iran: the Shiraz experience

Table 4 The relationship between patient demographics, pre- and post-operational characteristics and urinary and bowel continence in children who underwent surgical treatment of myelomeningocele

MMC patients	Bowel continent (n = 37)	Bowel incontinent (n = 89)	Total (%)	p value
Sex				0.078^b
Female	15	48	62 (50%)
Male	22	41	63 (50%)
Laminectomy				0.002^b
Needed	30	47	77 (62%)
Not needed	6	42	48 (38%)
Ambulation				0.029^b
GMFCS Level I and II	20	34	54 (43%)
GMFCS Level III	6	20	26 (21%)
GMFCS Level IV	8	19	27 (22%)
GMFCS Level V	1	17	18 (14%)
Readmission				0.000^b
No readmission	22	31	53 (42%)
One time	6	39	45 (36%)
Two times	2	14	16 (13%)
Three times	0	4	4 (3%)
Four or more times	5	1	6 (5%)
Education^c				0.000^b
Not attended school	20	6	26 (58%)
Have attempted but failed	2	5	7 (16%)
Have attended school	2	10	12 (27%)
Urinary				0.000^b
Continent	29	0	29 (23%)
Incontinent	6	90	96 (77%)
MMT grading				0.000^b
0	1	27	28 (23%)
1	4	7	11 (9%)
2	4	5	9 (7%)
3	3	29	32 (26%)
4	14	13	27 (22%)
5	7	8	15 (10%)
Scoliosis				0.000^b
Not present	31	49	80 (65%)
Congenital	2	36	38 (31%)
Acquired	3	3	6 (5%)

MMC patients	Urinary continent (n = 29)	Urinary incontinent (n = 96)	Total (%)	p value
Sex				0.089^b
Female	10	52	62 (50%)
Male	19	44	63 (50%)
Laminectomy				0.009^b
Needed	24	53	77 (62%)
Not needed	5	43	48 (38%)
Ambulation				0.013^b
GMFCS Level I and II	19	35	54 (43%)
GMFCS Level III	4	22	26 (21%)
GMFCS Level IV	6	21	27 (22%)
GMFCS Level V	6	18	18 (14%)
Readmission				0.000^b
No readmission	21	32	53 (42%)
One time	3	42	45 (36%)
Two times	1	15	16 (13%)
Three times	0	4	4 (3%)
Four or more times	4	2	6 (5%)
Education^c				0.043^b
Not attended school	15	11	26 (58%)
Have attempted but failed	2	5	7 (16%)
Have attended school	2	10	12 (27%)
Bowel				0.000^b
Continent	29	6	35 (28%)
Incontinent	0	90	90 (72%)
MMT grading				0.000^b
0	1	27	28 (23%)
1	3	8	11 (9%)
2	4	5	9 (7%)
3	0	32	32 (26%)
4	12	15	27 (22%)
5	7	8	15 (10%)
Scoliosis				0.002^b
Not present	26	54	80 (65%)
Congenital	1	37	38 (31%)
Acquired	2	4	6 (5%)

MMC myelomeningocele, GMFCS Gross Motor Function Classification System, MMT manual muscle testing
^aStudent’s t-test
^bFisher’s exact test
^cStatistical analysis for school attendance only includes the patients six years of age or older

ISSN: 2047-783X