Prenatal diagnosis of tethered spinal cord

Abstract

Tethered spinal cord is associated with closed and open neural tube defects. With prenatal screening, spinal defects are consistently diagnosed during fetal life. We show that the conus medullaris can be seen well with prenatal ultrasound, and the diagnosis of tethered spinal cord can be made during fetal life. In this pictorial essay, we show examples of tethered cord in a variety of fetuses with spine anomalies.