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Diagnosis and Management of Tethered Cord Syndrome

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Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery

Part of the book series: Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery ((NEUROSURGERY,volume 49))

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Abstract

Tethered cord syndrome is a condition in which the spinal cord is tethered by pathological structures such as a tight filum terminale, intradural lipomas with or without a connecting extradural component, intradural fibrous adhesions, diastematomyelia, and neural placode adhesions following closure of a myelomeningocele.

It usually occurs in childhood and adolescence as the spine grows in length, but it can also develop in adulthood. Symptoms of tethered cord syndrome are slowly progressive and varied. Incorrect diagnosis and inappropriate treatment may be provided if the physician lacks knowledge and understanding of this disease.

This chapter aims to describe the pathophysiology, syndromes, diagnostic imaging, surgical treatment, and prognosis of tethered cord syndrome to enhance the understanding of this condition.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for English language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Spine and Spinal Cord Center, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Takeshi Hara, Yukoh Ohara & Akihide Kondo

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  1. Takeshi Hara
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Correspondence to Takeshi Hara .

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  1. International Neuroscience Institute, Hannover, Germany

    Concezio Di Rocco

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Hara, T., Ohara, Y., Kondo, A. (2024). Diagnosis and Management of Tethered Cord Syndrome. In: Di Rocco, C. (eds) Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery. Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery, vol 49. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42398-7_3

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