| Introduction |
 A fibrous, cartilagenous, or osseous bar creating a longitudinal cleft in the spinal cord
- can lead to tethering of cord
- more common in lumbar spine
- Pathoanatomy
- believed to be caused by persistence of neuroenteric canal
- present during 3rd and 4th week of gestation
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| Imaging |
- Radiographs
- interpedicular widening is suggestive
- CT
- helpful to delineate bony anatomy
- MRI
- required to evaluate degree of neurologic compression
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| Treatment |
- Nonoperative
- observation alone
- indications
- may be observed if patient is asymptomatic and does not have neurologic sequelae
- Operative
- surgical resection
- indications
- surgery is indicated if patient is symptomatic or has neurologic deficits
- must resect diastematomyelia before correction of spine deformity
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