Issue release date: 12.11.2024
2Celal Bayar University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Manisa, Turkey DOI : 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.11700-14.1 AIM: The aim of this study was to describe the results of surgery performed in a group of adult patients with tethered cord syndrome with their outcomes.
MATERIAL and METHODS: This retrospective study included 56 patients. There were 38 females and 18 males. All patients were older than 18 years.
RESULTS: The mean age at referral was 36 years and 1 month. The mean follow-up period was 10 months 27 days. 95% of all patients with back and leg pains improved and 5% remained the same. Three patients with motor deficits remained the same in the postoperative period. Of the 16 patients with urological complaints, 10 improved, 5 unchanged and 1 patient died in the postoperative first day due to pulmonary embolism.
CONCLUSION: The syndrome of tethered cord may be a situation to be treated even in the elderly in case of normal level conus medullaris and filum terminale with a normal appearance as well as a low-lying conus and thick filum. To prevent overlooking the diagnosis of tethered cord and/or unnecessary spinal surgeries, the tethered cord syndrome should be remembered in the differential diagnosis list in the presence of back and leg pains, neurological deficits or urological complaints.
Keywords : Tethered cord syndrome, Adult, Filum terminale, Urodynamic study