A neurological disorder where the spinal cord is abnormally attached to surrounding tissue, causing progressive symptoms.
✦ AI summary
Tethered cord syndrome (TCS) happens when the spinal cord is abnormally anchored, causing tension that can lead to symptoms like leg weakness, deformities, sensory changes, pain, and bladder/bowel problems [3][6]. It's often linked to underlying structural issues such as a fatty filum terminale (a common cause in children) [10], intraspinal lipomas (which can sometimes be spotted before birth via ultrasound or MRI) [11], or other spinal dysraphism findings like dermal sinus tracts, dermoid cysts, or unusual skin markers such as ectopic dorsal breast tissue [9][12]. TCS can also show up alongside other conditions — in people with scoliosis (a small subset needing neurosurgery, usually with accompanying neurological symptoms) [1], in genetic syndromes like RALA-associated disease [2], in children after myelomeningocele repair (where lower household income has been linked to more tethered cord releases and other neurosurgical procedures) [7], and even as a diagnostic complicating factor when its symptoms overlap with other neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis [8]. Treatment approaches described in the sources include standard and minimally invas
This is an AI-generated summary of the sources below — not medical advice. Always talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.
Back painLeg weaknessBladder dysfunctionNumbnessScoliosisFatigue
Spinal Deformity Characteristics Associated With Intraspinal Anomalies in a Population of Presumed Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS).
Intraspinal anomalies (IA) are reported to occur in 7% to 19% of patients undergoing surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, these studies have not focused on IA that require neurosurgical intervention and have not assessed whether deformity characteristics predict their underlyi…
Tethered Cord Syndrome and Spinal Epidural Lipomatosis in a Child With RALA -Associated Hiatt-Neu-Cooper Syndrome.
Pathogenic variants in RALA cause Hiatt-Neu-Cooper syndrome, a rare and clinically complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by developmental delay, hypotonia, and intellectual disability, with distinctive craniofacial features. The disease is also associated with variably occurring seizure…
Acupuncture as an Adjuvant Therapy for Tethered Cord Syndrome: A Case Report.
Tethered cord syndrome (TCS) is defined as a diverse clinical condition wherein excessive tension on the spinal cord produces a variety of symptoms and signs. Its clinical symptoms include motor deficits, deformities of the lower extremities, lower leg sensory deficits, pain in the lower extremities…
Invasive Spinal Neuromodulation for Chronic Pain in Pediatric Patients: A Scoping Review.
Chronic pain affects up to 21% of pediatric patients and significantly impairs function and quality of life. Although spinal neuromodulation, including spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRG-S), has demonstrated efficacy in adults, evidence in children remains limite…
Complications and outcomes of spinal deformity correction in patient with open neural tube defects.
To evaluate surgical complications, functional and neurological outcomes of spinal deformity correction in children who underwent open neural tube defects (ONTDs) repair earlier. We analyzed 65 patients with treated ONTDs (myelomeningocele and myeloschisis) who underwent spinal deformity correction…
Minimally Invasive Keyhole Interlaminar Detethering for Symptomatic Fatty Filum Terminale in Pediatric Patients: An Operative Technique.
Fatty filum terminale (FFT) is a common cause of tethered cord syndrome (TCS) in children. Traditional detethering often requires laminectomy, which increases surgical trauma and complications. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a minimally invasive keyhole interlaminar approach…
Co-existing limited dorsal myeloschisis, spinal dermal sinus tract, and dermoid cyst in a 3-month-old female infant: Illustrative case.
Limited dorsal myeloschisis (LDM) and spinal dermal sinus tracts (DST) are rare forms of closed spinal dysraphism that are usually considered distinct entities, and their coexistence with a dermoid cyst is exceptionally uncommon. We describe a 3-month-old female infant with a congenital lumbosacral…
A 17 Year Old With Developmental Delay Presenting With Increasing Confusion and Imbalance.
Methylmalonic acidemia is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder primarily caused by defects in methylmalonyl-CoA mutase and cobalamin (vitamin B12) metabolism. These defects disrupt the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, leading to the abnormal accumulation of metabolic produc…