Ependymal variations in the caudal spinal cord.

The lumbosacral spinal cord including the cauda equina was examined in 100 unselected autopsied cases of infants dying at or near term. A striking finding in 10% of these cases was the occurrence of bilateral collections of ependymal cells lying in rows on the surface of the lumbosacral cord. In another 25% the central canal was forked or duplicate. These foci were not associated with evidence of defective neural tube closure or spina bifida; the central canal was of normal length. There was no relationship between the ependymal structures and systemic clinical or pathological findings. The pathogenesis and significance of these lesions is unclear. Our observations suggest that they occur regularly and are not associated with neurological disturbances. The relationship of the ependymal cell collections to ependymomas of the caudal spinal cord is open to speculation.