title: Untethered filum terminale presenting as cauda equina lesion.
abstract: We report the case of a young girl with recurrent bladder dysfunction. Magnetic resonance imaging performed for evaluation of initial urologic symptoms revealed a low-lying conus medullaris. She underwent an L5 laminectomy and cord untethering by sectioning of the filum terminale. After initial improvement of bladder function, her symptoms returned 4 years later. Repeat magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a new intradural lesion at L2. At surgery she was found to have an untethered, thickened, coiled filum terminale at L2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C., USA.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mace
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cure
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Storrs
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002420:Cauda Equina / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016136:Spina Bifida Occulta / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology