The tethered spinal cord: diagnosis by high-resolution real-time ultrasound.

High-resolution real-time ultrasonography of the lumbosacral spine was performed in 10 control patients and in six patients with suspected spinal dysraphism. The spinal cord was readily visualized in both groups. Lack of ossification of the posterior arch of the spine in normal infants and the presence of a bony defect in patients with spina bifida permit sonographic investigation of the spinal canal and its contents. It is concluded that the diagnosis of spinal cord tethering can be established rapidly by high-resolution real-time ultrasonography, which may be used in screening patients with suspected occult spinal dysraphism.