Occult tight filum terminale syndrome: results of surgical untethering.

The entity of an occult tight filum terminale syndrome, characterized by clinical findings consistent with a tethered cord syndrome, but with the conus ending in a normal position, has been recognized recently. The indications for sectioning the filum terminale in this situation are not well characterized and are controversial. We report a retrospective review of a consecutive series of 60 children (ages 3-18 years) with a diagnosis of occult tight filum terminale syndrome who underwent section of the filum and were followed for more than 6 months (mean 13.

A genealogical assessment of heritable predisposition to aneurysms.

Object: This study was conducted to investigate the familial and genetic contribution to intracranial, abdominal aortic, and all other types of aneurysms, and to define familial relationships among patients who present with the different aneurysm types.

Methods: The authors used a unique Utah resource to perform population-based analysis of the familial nature of aneurysms. The Utah Population Data Base is a genealogy of the Utah population dating back eight generations, which is combined with death certificate data for the state of Utah dating back to 1904.