J Korean Soc Spine Surg.  2012 Jun;19(2):68-71. 10.4184/jkss.2012.19.2.68.

Diastematomyelia in Adult: A Case Report

• Lee JY
• Jo JS

• KMID: 2209559
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4184/jkss.2012.19.2.68

Abstract

STUDY DESIGN: Case report.
OBJECTIVES
We report an adult patient with diastematomyelia. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Diastematomyelia is an uncommon congenital malformation of the vertebral axis, characterized by a separation of the spinal cord with an interposed bony, cartilaginous or fibrous septum. Most of the patients present this condition in childhood. The cases in adulthood are extremely rare.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The authors experienced a 46-year old female patient with diastematomyelia presenting a gradual onset of neurologic claudication. We treated with decompressive laminectomy, septum removal and posterior instrumentation.
RESULTS
We had satisfactory surgical results.
CONCLUSIONS
We report an extremely rare case of diastematomyelia in adulthood.

Keyword

L-spine; Diastematomyelia; Decompressive laminectomy; Septum removal; Posterior instrumentation

MeSH Terms

Adult
Axis, Cervical Vertebra
Female
Humans
Laminectomy
Neural Tube Defects
Spinal Cord