What is Filum Terminale?

Terminale filum or terminal fiber is a slim flexible string that connects the bottom of the spinal cord to the bone called coccyx at the bottom end of the vertebral column. Nerve tissue forms the spinal cord, which transmits nerve impulses to allow communication between the brain and the body. The cord is wrapped in three membranes, known as meninges, and the innermost, PIA mater, is full of blood vessels and is continuous with brain coverage. It is an extension of the PIA mater, which consists of a philum terminale. The spinal cord narrows at the lower end to the Medullaris Conus, and from the pointed end the PIA Mater protrudes, becoming a felt terminale that runs down to attach to Coccyx. Filum Terminale is used to connect the cord to the end of the bony spine, making it possible to move due to its elastic nature. Sometimes the backbone in the embryo does not develop properly, leading to an abnormal terminal fiber, which is rather shorter than the usual and fibrous than flexible. This condition is known as the Filum Terminale syndrome.

In the tight Filum Terminale syndrome, the spinal cord is tightly attached. When you move the spine to stretch and bend, as it happens regularly during everyday activities, the abnormal philum terminale cannot bend to adapt and spinal cord, along with the nerves, stretches instead. Over time, this causes nerve damage, especially those that result from the lower part of the spinal cord, and symptoms that affect the parts of the body they add. Pain may occur in the lower back and can be seen a curved spine along with deformed legs and weak legs. There may be problems with walking - the legs may feel dull - with one limb grow more than the other, and the bladder and intestinal control can deteriorate over time.

The treatment of the syndrome involves surgery to complete the terminal filum, so that the spinal cord remains separate and freely suspended. The result of the procedure depends on how far the nerve damage has already been done, but symptoms are generally prevented from getting worse and often improve. The symptoms of the bladder are least likely to show improvements, but after treatment, any pain in the back and legs often disappears.