title: Tethered Cord Syndrome in Adults: Experience of 56 Patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to describe the results of surgery performed in a group of adult patients with tethered cord syndrome with their outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study included 56 patients. There were 38 females and 18 males. All patients were older than 18 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age at referral was 36 years and 1 month. The mean follow-up period was 10 months 27 days. 95% of all patients with back and leg pains improved and 5% remained the same. Three patients with motor deficits remained the same in the postoperative period. Of the 16 patients with urological complaints, 10 improved, 5 unchanged and 1 patient died in the postoperative first day due to pulmonary embolism.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The syndrome of tethered cord may be a situation to be treated even in the elderly in case of normal level conus medullaris and filum terminale with a normal appearance as well as a low-lying conus and thick filum. To prevent overlooking the diagnosis of tethered cord and/or unnecessary spinal surgeries, the tethered cord syndrome should be remembered in the differential diagnosis list in the presence of back and leg pains, neurological deficits or urological complaints.
authors.affiliation: Celal Bayar University, School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Manisa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Selcuki
authors.forename: Mesut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mete
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barutcuoglu
authors.forename: Yusuf Kurtulus
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Duransoy
authors.forename: Ahmet Sukru
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Umur
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Selcuki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002420:Cauda Equina / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult