syrinx

Last reviewed 01/2018

  • term syrinx includes a group of conditions associated with the presence of a cavity in the spinal cord
    • process is usually associated with trauma or congenital abnormalities along the spinal neuraxis, typically at the craniocervical junction
    • patients with this condition may require conservative or surgical treatment, depending on the severity and progression of the symptoms
    • with the widespread use of magnetic resonance scanning, lesions in the spinal cord such as syrinx can be diagnosed earlier, often before producing clinical symptoms
      • the natural history of syrinx, however, is not well understood
  • syringomyelia is a slowly progressive syndrome of varying aetiology in which cavitation (formation of syrinxes) occur in the central segments of the spinal cord, generally in the cervical region, with resulting neurologic deficits