At Georgia Brain & Spine Center
There are a wide variety of developmental abnormalities of the spinal cord that can begin before you are born. You may have been diagnosed with such a condition as a young child, or you may only discover that you have a developmental abnormality later in life. One type of abnormality is a tethered spinal cord in which a thickened ligament stretches your spinal cord, resulting in pain, spinal deformity, leg weakness, and difficulty urinating.
Treatment of Developmental Abnormalities of the Spinal Cord
Developmental abnormalities of the spinal cord are sensitive conditions that need to be approached carefully. Treatment strategies must be tailored to each individual patient taking into account their goals and the overall status of their health. In the case of tethered spinal cord syndrome, some patients can be managed with observation and never need surgery. Others benefit from a surgery to release or “de-tether” the spinal cord.