title: Pathogenesis of diastematomyelia: can a surgical model in the chick embryo give some clues about the human malformation?
abstract: To reproduce diastematomyelia, a sagittal incision was carried out at the level of the rhomboidal sinus of 36- to 40-h-old chick embryos. A small piece of membrane shell, a small agar screen, or a piece of quail isochronous isotopic notochord was inserted into the gap. The embryos were killed and fixed after 9 days' incubation. Diastematomyelia was obtained in several embryos treated with interposition of a membrane screen or a piece of quail notochord. Microscopic examination revealed two hemicords, each containing its own central canal; in some cases one of the cords showed hydromyelia. Absence of the rump was seen in association with experimental diastematomyelia. The interposition of a resorbable agar screen did not succeed in reproducing diastematomyelia. The results of these surgical manipulations suggest that diastematomyelia cannot be explained by a primary disorder of neurulation. It supports the theory of noninvolution of a firm midline structure (probably the neurenteric canal, rapidly surrounded by mesodermal cells originating from the notochord), which prevents the fusion of the separated parts.
authors.affiliation: Départment d'Oto-neuro-ophtalmologie, Hôpital Cantonal Universitaire, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rilliet
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schowing
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berney
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D009672:Notochord / Q000002:abnormalities*; D016136:Spina Bifida Occulta / Q000196:embryology / Q000209:etiology*