Case report reveals adult-onset tethered cord syndrome from a filar lipoma in a 72-year-old, highlighting surgical release as a treatment for late-manifesting neurological and sphincter deficits.
Case : A 72-year-old woman presented with a progressive history of lower back pain, bilateral lower limb numbness, and gait disturbances that began in her 60s. Over time, she developed bladder and rectal dysfunction, including urinary retention and fecal incontinence. Given her worsening neurological symptoms, she was referred to our department for further evaluation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a low-set conus and a filar lipoma at the lumbosacral level. Lumbar radiography and computed tomography (CT) revealed no significant morphological abnormalities of the spine. Therefore, surgical intervention was recommended, and she underwent partial laminectomy and excision of the filar lipoma under intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring.
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Mizutani et al. (2025) studied this question.
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