脊椎および脳神経外科ジャーナル

The Prevention of the Tethered Cord Syndrome

António Gentil Martins*

Considering that, In Pediatric embryology, it is well known that the spinal cord tends to ascend within the spinal canal, namely soon after birth, till attaining its “adult level” (so rising from the level of the 4th lumbar vertebra till the level between the 2nd and the 3rd Lumbar vertebrae), we believe one is able to prevent the appearance of the Tethered Cord Syndrome by performing a proximal laminectomy just above the dysraphism, after having tubularized the “open” spinal medulla in the cases of a myelomeningocele. After large dozens of Neonatal operations for myelomeningocele not a single case of Tethered Cord Syndrome appeared, leading to the conclusion that that type of complication is really preventable, what knowledge of developmental embryology and simple common sense justifies.