title: Occult tethered cord syndrome: a survey of practice patterns.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tethered cord syndrome (TCS) is associated with a number of congenital anomalies involving early development of the spinal cord. These include myelomeningocele, spinal cord lipoma, low-lying conus medullaris, and a fibrofatty terminal filum. Occult TCS occurs in patients when clinical features indicate a TCS but the typical anatomical abnormalities are lacking. It is controversial whether surgical release of the terminal filum leads to clinical improvement in a patient who does not have a previously identified anatomical abnormality. To assess the clinical standard used by practicing pediatric neurosurgeons, a practice survey was conducted at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Joint Section for Pediatric Neurological Surgery of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
  
  
  METHODS
  The survey examined clinical decision making for a same-case scenario with differing appearance on imaging studies. There was a clear consensus regarding diagnosis and treatment in the patient with symptoms, a low-lying conus medullaris, and a fatty terminal filum. The vast majority of respondents (85%) favored surgical untethering for this patient. A majority of respondents (67%) also favored treatment for the patient having symptoms and a fatty terminal filum. There was, however, significant disagreement regarding the diagnosis and treatment of disease in one patient with symptoms and an inconclusive magnetic resonance imaging study. Some respondents clearly favored surgery, whereas others believed that this patient did not meet the diagnostic criteria for TCS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this survey support the development of a randomized clinical trial to address the benefit of surgery for occult TCS.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, British Columbia's Children's Hospital and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Steinbok
authors.forename: Hugh J L
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Garton
authors.forename: Nalin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D002420:Cauda Equina / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011379:Prognosis; D016136:Spina Bifida Occulta / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D001750:Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery