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Spinal cord snip: could a simple surgery ease hidden tethered cord symptoms?

NCT ID NCT05163899

Disease control Sponsor: Weill Medical College of Cornell University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This small pilot study tests whether cutting a fibrous strand at the end of the spinal cord (filum terminale) can relieve symptoms of occult tethered cord syndrome better than medical management alone. Twenty people aged 2 to 80 who have not improved with standard care will be randomly assigned to surgery or continued medical treatment. The study measures changes in a combined symptom score covering nerve, bladder, bowel, and orthopedic issues.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
surgical release of the filum terminale (a fibrous strand at the end of the spinal cord)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a surgical treatment option for people with occult tethered cord syndrome who haven't improved with medical management.
What could go wrong
This is a very small pilot study with only 20 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Surgery on the spine carries risks like infection, nerve damage, or no symptom improvement.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 20 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

May 2022

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

2 to 80 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Male or female ≥ 2 and \< 80 years of age. * Refractory to medical management of symptoms for at least 1 year. * Documentation of OTCS, as defined by a total score of at least 30 on the following scale: OCCULT Grading Scale (Score 0-100) Orthopedic Abnormality: 0-15; Central Nervous System Dysfunction: 0-25; Cutaneous Stigmata: 0-10; Urological or Bowel Dysfunction: 0-25; Lumbosacral Anatomy: 0-15; Tissue Integrity Disorder: 0-10. Exclusion Criteria: * Subjects \< 2 or \> 80 years of age. * Radiographically identified tethered cord, as defined by any of the following: * A low-lying conus (at or below the L2-3 disc space) * A thickened filum (\>2 mm) * Fat in the filum or lipoma * Distinct adhesion or tethering. * A history of Meningocele manqué or Myelomeningocele. * Cutaneous markings of dermal sinus tract. * History of prior surgery on the lumbar spine. * History of prior surgery for spinal dysraphism. * History of prior infection or autoimmune condition of the central nervous system.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

neural tube defect primary tethered cord syndrome spina bifida occulta spinal cord injury tethered spinal cord syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Occult spina bifida Spina bifida occulta Tethered cord Tethered cord syndrome

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Weill Cornell Medicine

    RECRUITING

    New York, New York, 10065, United States

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