"Tethered cord syndrome"--recent clinical experience

Thirty-three consecutive patients treated surgically for "tethered cord syndrome" over a 3-three year period were reviewed. The main presenting complaints were back and leg pain, progressive lower limb and spinal deformity, and neurological deficits. Untethering of the cord was achieved in 32 patients, in whom the filum terminale was divided in 17. There were no serious complications; one patient had a CSF leak which required surgical repair. The mean postoperative follow-up was 15 months and 20 of the patients reported improvement, the rest were unchanged. There was no neurological deterioration in any of the patients. Our series suggests that cord release in patients with "tethered cord syndrome" improves or arrests the progression of neurological deterioration.