Diastematomyelia in adults. Modern imaging and operative treatment

Diastematomyelia, an uncommon dysraphic state usually seen in children, is a rarity in adults; only 19 reports have been published in the literature so far. Two cases of diastematomyelia in adults are presented and the relevant literature is reviewed. Both of these were investigated by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. These two procedures are proved to be complementary to each other in understanding this anomaly. Both patients exhibited associated congenital abnormalities of the neuroectoderm in the form of hyperpigmentation, hypertrichosis, lipomatosis, and dermal sinus that were demonstrated with clarity by the neuroimaging modalities used. Operative correlation was performed in both patients, where findings correlated very well with the preoperative radiological evaluation.