Delayed cervical spinal cord tethering following tonsillar resection for Chiari malformation

Although tethering of the spinal cord in the lumbosacral region, particularly following repair of congenital anomalies, such as myelomeningocele, is a well-known phenomenon, only sporadic reports of tethering along the rest of the neuraxis, including the hindbrain, cervical and thoracic spinal cord have been documented. In this report, we describe a woman who developed symptoms related to tethering of the cervical spinal cord 5 years after suboccipital decompressive surgery of the posterior fossa for Chiari I malformation. The authors discuss the diagnosis, treatment, and postoperative course of this entity.