MRI diagnosis of diastematomyelia in a 78-year-old woman: Case report and literature review.

Background: Diastematomyelia is a rare congenital malformation of the spinal cord, which belongs to the group of occult spinal dysraphisms. This disorder consists in the separation of the spinal cord into two parts in the sagittal plane (hemicords). Diastematomyelia may coexist with other spinal dysraphisms, such as myelomeningocele, meningocele, spinal lipoma, neuroenteric cysts or dermal sinuses and vertebral abnormalities, such as hemivertebrae, butterfly vertebrae or scoliosis.