DISTAL SPINAL-CORD PATHOLOGY IN THE VATER ASSOCIATION

Herein the authors report the pathology of six cases of VATER associat ion and tethered spinal cord that underwent operative intervention for removal of lipomas of the conus-filum terminale and/or release of the tethered cord. In five of the six patients, the excised filum termina le consistently showed excessive mature adipose tissue, normal blood v essels, small myelinated nerve fibers, and fibrous connective tissue. One patient had mature lobulated adipose tissue and vessels only. It i s concluded that patients with the VATER association who present with distal spinal cord pathology consistently have abnormal involution of the filum terminale, the hallmark being an abnormal collection of matu re fat, thickening of the filum, and extension of the fat into the con us medullaris. Copyright (C) 1994 by W.B. Saunders Company