Diastematomyelia: Tomography in Diagnosis

Abstract

A case of extensive diastematomyelia, complicated by the presence of a dermoid tumour, is described. The associated vertebral defects conform to a fairly typical pattern, and lateral tomography of the spine succeeds in demonstrating the bony process transfixing the cord. The necessity for myelography is stressed, since it may reveal abnormalities not previously suspected as, in this case, the dermoid tumour, and since it shows the true extent of the cord division.