title: Massive cystic dilatation within a tethered filum terminale causing cauda equina compression and mimicking syringomyelia in a young adult patient.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The ventriculus terminalis (VT) is formed during early embryonic development of the spinal cord and can only be identified histologically in both children and adults. Cystic dilatation of the VT can be seen in young children, but it rarely persists through adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe a 27-year-old female with paraparesis secondary to a massive and tethered cystic dilatation of the VT mimicking syringomyelia. Symptoms appearing in early childhood were ignored, probably leading to the much prominent presentation in early adulthood. The preoperative presentation and surgical treatment are discussed in relation to childhood history.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although extremely rare, symptomatic dilatation of the VT can be seen in young adults, usually with previous manifestations in early childhood. This entity should be considered while treating tethered cord spectrum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Dana-Dwek Children's Hospital, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv 64239, Israel.
authors.forename: Niv
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pencovich
authors.forename: Liat
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ben-Sira
authors.forename: Shlomi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Constantini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002420:Cauda Equina / Q000473:pathology*; D003560:Cysts / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D013595:Syringomyelia / Q000503:physiopathology*