Spinal cord swelling preceding syrinx development Case report

N several different theories there is an attempt to explain the pathophysiology of syringomyelia associated with the Chiari I malformation. In some of them, mechanisms in which the syrinx expands progressively from an initially small locus of syringomyelia, a "drop" of fluid, to a cavity that is large enough to distend the spinal cord are proposed. This is the mechanism proposed for the theories advocated by Gardner and Angel, We present a patient with a Chiari I malformation in whom serial MR images obtained over a 3-month period document swelling and edema of the spinal cord that preceded development of a well-defined syrinx. Spinal cord edema in this case is consistent with transmural passage of CSF from the spinal subarachnoid space into the spinal cord. KEY WORDS • syringomyelia • Chiari malformation I 93 Abbreviations used in this paper: CSF = cerebrospinal fluid; MR = magnetic resonance