Diastematomyelia in Adult: A Case Report

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.