Mother claims 17 doctors couldn't diagnose son's issue but ChatGPT did

Common symptoms of tethered cord syndrome include weakness of one or both legs, numbness, tingling, or pain in one or both legs, difficulty in walking, thinning of leg muscles, lack of bladder or bowel control, and urinary incontinence

By: Lifestyle Desk

New Delhi | Updated: September 13, 2023 05:42 PM IST

3 min read

In most cases, Tethered Cord Syndrome is congenital or present since birth (representative) (Source: Freepik)

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After 17 doctors failed to give a correct diagnosis of her four-year-old son’s chronic pain with symptoms like toothache and stunted growth, a mother claims to have turned to OpenAI’s ChatGPT which zeroed in on the condition. Talking to Today.com, the mother said, “We saw so many doctors. We ended up in the ER at one point. I kept pushing,” adding, “I really spent the night on the (computer)…going through all these things.”

She claimed to finally have a diagnosis of the neurological condition known as tethered cord syndrome which “made a lot of sense”.

What is tethered cord syndrome?

As a neurological condition, tethered cord syndrome (TCS) is where the spinal cord is attached to the tissues that surround it. Normally, the spinal cord is free to move within the spinal canal. However, in patients with TCS, there is a restriction in the movement of the spinal cord.

“In addition, the lower part of the spinal cord gets pulled downwards due to its attachment to surrounding tissues. This abnormal pulling of nerves within the spinal cord leads to damage of nervous tissue (within spinal cord), resulting in various neurological problems in the affected person,” said neurologist Dr Sudhir Kumar, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.

In most cases, TCS is congenital or present since birth. “However, it may not be noticed at that time. It is only when the child starts growing up that the symptoms become obvious,” Dr Kumar explained.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of TCS include weakness of one or both legs, numbness, tingling, or pain in one or both legs, difficulty in walking, thinning of leg muscles, lack of bladder or bowel control, and urinary incontinence, and examination of the lower back may reveal an unusual dimple, a tuft of hair, or a lipoma (fatty tumour),” Dr Kumar noted.

According to the expert, the condition is commonly seen in younger children. “In some cases, there is a delay in diagnosis, and the condition gets diagnosed in teenage or early adulthood,” he said.

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Know all about how spinal cord is affected (Source: Freepik)

Can you prevent the condition?

Dr Kumar stressed that there is “no way to prevent this disease, as it is a congenital condition”.

Diagnosis and treatment

The diagnosis is suspected based on typical neurological symptoms in early childhood and can be confirmed by doing an MRI scan of the spine, said Dr Kumar.

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“Treatment of TCS is by surgery, where the attached portion of the spinal cord is de-tethered. Early surgery results in a better outcome, as any delay can lead to more severe nerve damage,” he concluded.

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