The filum terminale is a thin strand of pia mater that continues down from the tip of the conus medullaris to the coccyx. Its inner part lies within the dural sac among the cauda equina, and its outer part is covered by dura and attaches to the back of the first coccygeal segment, anchoring the lower end of the spinal cord.
| Location | From the conus medullaris at about L1-L2, through the lumbar cistern to the end of the dural sac at S2, then on to the dorsum of the coccyx |
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| Parts |
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| Connections |
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| Blood Supply | Small branches from the anterior spinal artery and its anastomotic loop at the conus |
Anchors the lower end of the spinal cord and dural sac to the coccyx, stabilising the cord within the vertebral canal.
A thickened or fatty filum (more than about 2 mm wide) can tether the spinal cord, stretching it during growth and movement and causing tethered cord syndrome. Surgical division of the filum releases the tension. Myxopapillary ependymoma is a tumour that characteristically arises from the filum terminale.
Stretching of a low-lying spinal cord by a tight or fatty filum, causing back and leg pain, leg weakness, foot deformity and bladder problems.
A slow-growing tumour of the filum terminale in young adults, presenting with low back pain and sometimes sciatica or bladder symptoms.
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