Assessment of clinical status in patients• with tethered cord syndrome after surgical detethering

Abstract

The present study was perfonned to evaluate the outcome of children with tethered cord syndrome at1er surgical release of the tethering clement. 22 patients admitted to the department of neurosurgerv of Suez Canal University HospitaL !rom 1995 to 2001) and were diagnosed clinically and rndiological]v• hv lwving tethering elements, with reguler folllow up, up to 5 years. All patients haJ postoperative clinical assessment, including detaileJ history. and clinical e:-;amination compared with the preoperative data.

• In the present study the mean age ofTCS children was 62.R months (5.2 years).

Female were a!Tected more lrequent thean male (54.4% & 5.5% respectively).

• Cutaneous stigmata, or neurocutaneous stig)nata, were found in all patients, the most lrequent lesion was suhcutaneous lump 6:1.ri% while the lest one was skin tag, which represent 4.5o/n. it haJ. a significant correlation with N1RI finding, .as subcutaneous lump alone or associated \\•ith other skin stigmata presented in all cases of spinal cord lipoma, hypertrichosis alone or in association with other skin lesion in all cases of SCML skin Jimple were presented in all cases of CDS, thick tiltun tenninal has small percent in our sample and presente with non specific skin lesion. and the same for the JennoiJ cyst. • 50% of patients presenteJ without anv symptoms or sign, but only the cutaneous stigmata give clinical attention, where the most frequent clinical feature were neuro-urological in the fonn of incontinenece in 45.5% of cases. and the lest one were the neuro-orthopedic deticit which presented in 4.5% of CUSt:S.