Incidence and factors of tethering after sectioning the filum terminale

This study aims to assess the incidence of retethering in patients who underwent surgery for tethered cord in our clinic. We included patients who underwent surgical intervention for tethered cord in our clinic between 2010 and 2020 and were subsequently diagnosed with retethering during follow-up. Only those with available postoperative clinical follow-up data were included. The study analyzed the timing of surgery, gender, presenting symptoms, intraoperative findings, postoperative outcomes-including complications-and follow-up duration. Over a 10-year period, 59 patients underwent surgery for tethered cord. Among them, 11 patients required reoperation for retethering at a median age of 5 years. The median interval between the initial and retethering surgeries was 47.6±43.20 months. Two patients were asymptomatic at the time of their initial surgery. Among the 11 patients with retethering, 3 (27.2%) presented with bladder or bowel dysfunction, 4 (36.3%) with neuro-orthopedic symptoms, and 4 (36,3%) with pain. Two patients experienced a second episode of retethering and required a third surgery, which occurred approximately 2 years after the second procedure. The risk of retethering should be carefully monitored in patients with tethered cord, particularly during growth periods.