Projects

Diastometamyelia is an occult spinal dysraphism also known as the split cord malformation or "doublebarelled spine". It was first described in 1837 and refers to an abnormality where the spinal canal is split by a fibrous, cartilaginous or bony septum creating two sleeves each containing a portion of the spinal cord which is split sagitally. ⁽¹⁾ Vertebral anomalies lead to spinal deformity and congenital scoliosis although they remain asymptomatic. MR imaging is an excellent modality for detecting spinal dysraphism. It is noninvasive, yet provides excellent tissue discrimination in several planes. We present CT and MRI findings of a patient with Diatometamyelia and several coexisting vertebral anomalies namely congenital kyphoscoliosis, wedge vertebra, hemivertebra, butterfly vertebra and spina bifida and discuss the embryology of each one of them.