J Korean Neurol Assoc.  1987 Dec;5(2):132-141.

A Clinical Study of 17 Patients with Syringomyelia

• Ha CK
• Roh JK
• Lee SB
• Myung HJ
• Han DH
• Chang KH

Abstract

Syringomyelia is a relatively uncommon, chronic, slowly progressive, degenerative process characterized by cavitation and gliosis within the substance of the spinal cord and/or the medulla. There have been only a few case reports in Korea. The authors reviewed 17 patients with syringomyelia diagnosed by delayed metrizamide spinal CT and/or MR imaging at Seoul National University Hospital from January, 1983 to June, 1987. Eleven were male and the age of onset was less than 40 in 16 (mean 23.4). The mean duration of symptoms was 87.1 months (range 3-276). Clinical features were similar to classical cases except sphincter involovement and abnormal sweating were more common in this report. The syrinx cavity which showed dye collection within spinal cord in delayed metrizamide spinal CT and low signal intensity in T1 weighted MR imaging was located mainly at cervicothoracic junction. The causes were the hindbran abnormality in 5, intramedullary cord tumor in 5, trauma in 3, adhesive arachnoiditis in 1 and unknown in 3. The cases with sensory dissociation had shorter duration of symptoms than those without sensory dissociation and showed normal results in SEPs study. Eleven patients were treated surgically and nine of them improved. MRI and SEPs are thought to be good aids for the understanding of the mechanism and course of syringomyelia.

MeSH Terms

Adhesives
Age of Onset
Arachnoid
Arachnoiditis
Gliosis
Humans
Korea
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Metrizamide
Seoul
Spinal Cord
Sweat
Sweating
Syringomyelia*
Adhesives
Metrizamide