title: Delayed cervical spinal cord tethering following tonsillar resection for Chiari malformation.
abstract: Although tethering of the spinal cord in the lumbosacral region, particularly following repair of congenital anomalies, such as myelomeningocele, is a well-known phenomenon, only sporadic reports of tethering along the rest of the neuraxis, including the hindbrain, cervical and thoracic spinal cord have been documented. In this report, we describe a woman who developed symptoms related to tethering of the cervical spinal cord 5 years after suboccipital decompressive surgery of the posterior fossa for Chiari I malformation. The authors discuss the diagnosis, treatment, and postoperative course of this entity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Allegheny Neuroscience Institute/Drexel University College of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. rsekula@wpahs.org
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Sekula
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kathpal
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blumenkopf
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Wilberger
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Jannetta
mesh_terms: D001139:Arnold-Chiari Malformation / Q000601:surgery*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D020234:Gait Ataxia / Q000209:etiology; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000009:adverse effects