Located or occurring outside the sheath or protective covering of a structure, particularly outside the spinal cord's dura mater.
From 'extra-' (outside) + 'thecal' (from Greek theke, sheath or case). This medical and anatomical term developed in neurology to precisely describe spinal cord lesion locations.
Doctors use this term when a tumor or problem is outside the membrane wrapped around your spinal cord—it's important because inside versus outside that sheath determines how serious it might be.
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