Tethered cord symptoms can include which of the following?

Tethered cord symptoms can include which of the following?

• A. Incontinence of bladder and bowel and loss of reflexes in legs
• B. Seizures
• C. Visual loss
• D. Hearing loss

Answer: (A)

When the spinal cord is tethered, traction on the lower cord during growth leads to dysfunction of the motor and autonomic nerves in the legs and pelvis. This best presents as incontinence of bladder and bowel and loss of reflexes in the legs, reflecting involvement of the lumbosacral nerve roots and surrounding autonomic pathways. Seizures arise from brain electrical activity, not the tethered spinal cord, and visual or hearing loss involve the optic or auditory pathways, not typically affected by tethering of the spinal cord. Thus the described bladder/bowel incontinence with leg reflex loss is the classic pattern for tethered cord.

When the spinal cord is tethered, traction on the lower cord during growth leads to dysfunction of the motor and autonomic nerves in the legs and pelvis. This best presents as incontinence of bladder and bowel and loss of reflexes in the legs, reflecting involvement of the lumbosacral nerve roots and surrounding autonomic pathways.

Seizures arise from brain electrical activity, not the tethered spinal cord, and visual or hearing loss involve the optic or auditory pathways, not typically affected by tethering of the spinal cord. Thus the described bladder/bowel incontinence with leg reflex loss is the classic pattern for tethered cord.