Diagnostic errors during intramedullar processes

Introduction: The article describes a clinical case of a malignant tumor of the brain and spinal cord with metastasis, which remained undetected for many years and was treated as syringomyelia. Long-term exhausting examinations of the brain and spinal cord, dynamic follow-up of medical specialists, and repeated surgical interventions on the spine helped to differentiate this process and make the correct diagnosis. The aim: The objectives of the present paper are to analyze the existing classifications of syringomyelia; to examine its etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic approaches and treatment tactics; to present a clinical case of a malignant tumor of the brain and spinal cord with metastasis, which was misdiagnosed as syringomyelia.

Materials and methods: The authors analyzed the existing classifications of syringomyelia and studied its etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic approaches and treatment tactics using the method of content analysis, analyticalб comparative and contrastive methods.

Clinical case: The described clinical case is a variant of the course of syringomyelia, associated with the spinal cord tumor, namely, in particular, anaplastic ependymoma. For a long time, the process remained undetected, despite the long-term examination and drainage of the syringomyelic cavity. Analyzing this case, it is highly important to pay attention to careful history collection, examination of the patient, analysis of the occurrence of certain disorders in order to conduct the neuroimaging examinations in time.

Conclusions: Favorable outcome of the disease is directly related to the diagnosis at early stages, especially in young people, the clinical variant of the process, progression of the course, the degree of involvement of various parts of the nervous system and extraneural formations, the severity of the lesion. The treatment tactics and the ability to restore the functions will depend on all these factors.