Clinical manifestations and significance of post-traumatic thoracolumbar syringomyelia.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the pathogenic mechanism and the clinical significance of post-traumatic thoracolumbar syringomyelia through reviewing the clinical manifestations.


METHODS
The data of 15 patients (14 males and 1 female, aged from 28 to 56 years, with an average of 36 years) with post-traumatic syringomyelia treated in our hospital from December 1997 to February 2002 were studied retrospectively. Two patients suffered from T11 fractures, 7 from T12 fractures and 6 from L1 fractures. There were 12 patients with burst fractures and 3 with fracture dislocations. Anterior decompression, bone graft, bone fusion and internal fixation were made on 6 patients, posterior decompression, bone graft, bone fusion and internal fixation on 1 patient, and non-surgical treatment on 8 patients.


RESULTS
Syringomyelia of the patients was diagnosed accurately with magnetic resonance imaging at 0.5-4 years after the original thoracolumbar fracture. The cavern was round in 6 cases, elliptic in 6 cases, and irregular in 3 cases. The patients also suffered from pain (80%), myodynamia attenuation in lower extremities (66.7%), aggravated spasm (46.7%), sensation loss or hypesthesia (46.7%), decreased coordinate function of lower extremities (20%) and autonomic nerve symptom (6.7%).


CONCLUSIONS
Post-traumatic thoracolumbar syringomyelia should be suspected if the patient has new neurological symptoms, such as myodynamia attenuation in lower extremities, after the neural function becomes stable for certain time.
Qiu
Yong
Y
Department of Spine Surgery, Gulou Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China. scoliosis2002@sina.com
Zhu
Ze-zhang
ZZ
Lü
Jin-yu
JY
Wang
Bin
B
Li
Wei-guo
WG
Zhu
Li-hua
LH
D000328:Adult; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods; D013595:Syringomyelia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome