Sacral spinal canal lipoma induced tethered lower cord syndrome: A case report

Abstract

Tethered cord syndrome is a rare form of spinal dysraphism. We present the case of a 24-year-old female patient who was admitted with chronic urinary symptoms, including dysuria and pollakiuria, which had persisted since puberty, along with lower back pain (lumbago). Due to the progression and increased severity of the lumbago, a lumbar MRI was performed. The imaging revealed a low-lying conus medullaris at the S1-S2 spinal level, tethered to a sacral spinal canal lipoma, without any signal abnormalities in the spinal cord. This led to the diagnosis of closed spinal dysraphism. The key takeaway from this case is the importance of raising awareness among clinicians and radiologists to consider tethered cord syndrome as a potential cause of urinary symptoms in young adults.

Keywords

• Tethered spinal cord
• Spinal dysraphism
• Sacral spinal canal lipoma
• MRI
• Case report