title: Clinical manifestations and significance of post-traumatic thoracolumbar syringomyelia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Spine Surgery, Gulou Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210008, China. scoliosis2002@sina.com
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Ze-zhang
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Jin-yu
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lü
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei-guo
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li-hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: 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