Tethered spinal cord in patients with anorectal and urogenital malformations

We reviewed 26 patients with anorectal or urogenital malformations managed by the neurosurgical service at The Children's Hospital for tethered spinal cord as diagnosed by spinal MRI. There were 13 patients with cloacal exstrophy, 5 with the Vater association, 3 with imperforate anus, and 5 with other complex anomalies. Tethering spinal cord lesions included myelocystocele, lipomyelomeningocele, and filum lipoma. We review the clinical course, management, correlation of MRI and intraoperative findings, and outcome of the patients, as well as the embryology which underlies the association of these malformations.