SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

During the early stages of syringomyelia development the signs and symptoms may be vague and intermittent. The signs and symptoms associated with a syrinx and syringomyelia include:

• Pain
• Numbness and/or tingling
• Muscle weakness and/or clumsiness
• Difficulty walking or unusual gait (lower extremity ataxia)
• Difficulty with balance and increased risk for falling
• “Cloak likeâ€? pain and temperature loss with preservation of position sense, light touch and proprioception.
• Development of scoliosis
• Symptoms involving eh head and face (syringobulbia)

CAUSES

A watery, protective substance known as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) normally flows around the spinal cord and brain, transporting nutrients and waste products. It also serves to cushion the brain.   In early development, CSF also fills a small canal through the center of the spinal cord—the central canal—which then collapses normally over time.

The exact development of syringomyelia can not always be identified. A number of medical conditions can cause an obstruction in the normal flow of CSF, redirecting it into the central canal, and ultimately into the spinal cord itself. For reasons that are only now becoming clear, this redirected CSF fills the expanding central canal and results in syrinx formation. Pressure differences along the spine cause the fluid to move within the cyst. Physicians believe that it is this continual movement of fluid that builds pressure around and inside the spinal cord, and results in cyst growth and further damage to the spinal cord tissue. The cerebrospinal fluid pulsates with each heartbeat contributing to CSF flow into a syrinx, which communicates with the CSF surrounding the spinal cord. The stability of a syrinx can be unpredictable.

RISK FACTORS

Risk factors for the development of a syrinx include: developmental abnormalities (anomalies) such as Chiari malformation, spinal dysraphism, and diastematomyelia.

• spinal cord injury or destruction
• spinal cord tumor
• inflammation of spinal membranes (arachnoiditis)