Misdiagnosed adult presentation of diastematomyelia and tethered cord

Diastematomyelia with tethered cord is an uncommon congenital anomaly that is generally diagnosed in childhood but may rarely present in adulthood, we present the case of a 48-year-old man with diastematomyelia and tethered cord whose diagnosis was initially missed, leading to unnecessary spine surgery. The correct diagnosis was made from follow-up imaging. Because common clinical complaints such as back pain may be caused by unusual conditions, the authors suggest that radiologists and treating physicians should remain vigilant for unusual presentations of rare diseases.