Treatment and prevention of tethered and retethered spinal cord using a Gore-Tex surgical membrane

The incidence of the tethered cord syndrome after repair of spinal dysraphism is not insignificant. A retethered spinal cord may also develop after an untethering operation. In order to treat and/or prevent the tethered and retethered spinal cord, the authors developed and successfully used a new me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of neurosurgery Vol. 80; no. 4; p. 689
Main Authors Inoue, H K, Kobayashi, S, Ohbayashi, K, Kohga, H, Nakamura, M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.04.1994
Subjects
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Membranes, Artificial
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Prostheses and Implants
Recurrence
Spina Bifida Occulta - diagnosis
Spina Bifida Occulta - prevention & control
Spina Bifida Occulta - surgery
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Summary:The incidence of the tethered cord syndrome after repair of spinal dysraphism is not insignificant. A retethered spinal cord may also develop after an untethering operation. In order to treat and/or prevent the tethered and retethered spinal cord, the authors developed and successfully used a new method in 12 cases. After complete release and reconstruction of the spinal cord, a Gore-Tex surgical membrane was placed over the cord and fixed to the lateral dural surface with stay sutures. During a postoperative follow-up period ranging from 23 months to 7 years, no further neurological deterioration was observed in the 12 patients and magnetic resonance imaging studies showed no adhesion of the spinal cord to the operative site. It is concluded that this simple new method is effective for the treatment and prevention of tethering and/or retethering of the spinal cord, although a longer follow-up study is required.
ISSN:0022-3085
DOI:10.3171/jns.1994.80.4.0689