Browsing by Subject "TIGHT FILUM TERMINALE"

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    Adult tethered cord syndrome mimicking lumbar disc disease
    (SPRINGER) Umur, AS; Selcuki, M; Selcuki, D; Bedük, A; Doganay, L
    Object This paper reports four tethered cord cases who initially applied with lumbar disk disease symptoms. Materials and methods All of them were investigated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and somatosensory evoked potential (SSPE). In two patients, MRI revealed thick and fatty filum terminale, while in remaining two, the filum terminale appeared as normal in thickness. SSEP revealed pathological conduction values in all, and it was the main indicator for surgical sectioning in patients especially with normal MRI investigations. All patients had benefit from the surgical sectioning of the fila terminalia with either thick and fatty or normal appearance. Conclusion A particular patient with lumbar disc disease symptoms having normal MRI should also be investigated for tight filum terminale. If there is no pathological appearance in MRI investigation (both in regard to disc herniation and thick and fatty filum terminale), SSEP investigation should be done to check whether a conduction block or delay is present, indicating cord tethering.
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    Tethered Cord Syndrome in Adults: Experience of 56 Patients
    (TURKISH NEUROSURGICAL SOC) Selcuki, M; Mete, M; Barutcuoglu, M; Duransoy, YK; Umur, AS; Selcuki, D
    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.