Abstract
Retained medullary cord (RMC) is a defect resulting from impaired secondary neurulation. Intraoperatively, RMC is recognizable as an elongated cord-like structure caudal to the conus, that contains histologically confirmed neuroglial components and a lumen with an ependymal lining. It characteristically does not possess neurological function. This chapter aims to summarize (1) the mechanisms that lead to the occurrence of RMC; (2) the various forms of RMC, such as cystic RMC and ‘possible RMC’, and (3) the treatment strategies, especially untethering through limited exposure.
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Acknowledgements
We are indebted to Professor Dachling Pang for his meticulous review of our manuscript.
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2021R1F1A1058932).
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Kim, K.H., Lee, J.Y., Wang, KC. (2023). Secondary Neurulation Defects: Retained Medullary Cord. In: Pang, D., Wang, KC. (eds) Spinal Dysraphic Malformations. Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery, vol 47. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34981-2_7
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