[Report of 54 cases of diastematomyelia treated in Shohadaye Tajrish, Mehrad and Mofid Hospitals]

ABSTRACT

Diastematomyelia is a congenital anomaly of the spinal cord which is usually associated with other CNS, skeletal and skin abnormalities. In this study, 54 cases treated with surgical or medical routes have been surveyed. Average age was 35 months and female/male ratio was 1811. Two thirds of the patients were found to have neurological deficit, with gait problem being the most predominant whereas skin and orthopedic anomalies ranked next. Tethered cord was detected in about half of them and spurs found in two third. Two thirds of cases underwent surgery out of which 114 had transient postoperative complications with complication rate of 25%. There was no postoperative mortality. Post-operative improvement of neurological deficit occurred in 14% of cases and same percentage had deterioration, while others had no change in their neurological status