Cord untethering for lipomyelomeningocele: expectation after surgery

Abstract

✓Tethering of the conus medullaris is assumed to be the primary cause of the deterioration seen in children with transitional lipomyelomeningocele (LMMC). The inevitability of deterioration has led to the use of prophylactic interventions to stabilize or prevent further clinical deterioration. The author reviewed current literature to define the timing and pattern of deterioration prior to and following initial cord untethering in patients with transitional LMMC, as well as the operative burden that these children bear in exchange for optimized function.