Saturday, March 3, 2012

Clinical course of incidental syringomyelia without predisposing pathologies

Publication year: 2012
Source: Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, Available online 3 March 2012
Jiha Kim, Chi Heon Kim, Tae-Ahn Jahng, Chun Kee Chung
Although the widespread use of MRI has facilitated the diagnosis of subclinical syringomyelia, little information has been established regarding its natural course. To elucidate the clinical course and treatment strategy of incidental syringomyelia without predisposing pathologies, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical course of 12 adult patients with incidental syringomyelia. No patients had any predisposing pathology, including Chiari malformation or spinal cord tumor. Using the medical records and MRI, we analyzed the neurological and radiological features of each patient. After a mean of 39.9 months follow-up, no patient developed neurological deterioration. Although one patient had radiological progression without neurological deterioration, 11 patients (91.7%) had no change on MRI. Additionally, all patients experienced a favorable clinical course without surgery. These results indicate that, for patients with incidental syringomyelia without predisposing pathology, close observation rather than surgery can be recommended.





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