An Effective Surgical Method for Terminal Syringomyelia: Terminal Ventriculostomy-Associated "V"-Type Ostomy

Retrospective cohort study.

We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of terminal ventriculostomy in treating tethered cord syndrome (TCS) combined with terminal syringomyelia (TS) and describe "V"-type ostomy as an effective surgical method to avoid relapsing syringomyelia based on terminal ventriculostomy.

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and radiological data of 28 patients admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, PLA General Hospital who had been diagnosed with TCS combined with TS and underwent terminal ventriculostomy-associated "V"-type ostomy between January 2011 and January 2016. We classified patients' clinical outcomes into 4 levels according to the Spinal Bifida Neurological Scale: markedly improved, improved, stable, and deteriorated. The size of the syrinx cavity was quantified using the syrinx index, and there was a difference in syrinx cavity size between pre-operation and post-operation.

Twenty-eight patients were followed up for 36 months. We found that each syrinx cavity shrunk by at least 50%. More than 90% of patients had achieved "markedly improved" and "improved" outcomes during the follow-up visit. Moreover, no patient relapsed for up to 36 months post-surgery.

Terminal ventriculostomy has a beneficial effect on TS, particularly on the syrinx cavity extending to the filum terminale. For this special cavity, we advocate the use of terminal ventriculostomy-associated "V"-type ostomy to avoid potential relapse. As a safe, convenient, and persistently effective approach, terminal ventriculostomy-associated "V"-type ostomy can be considered a promising alternative method for treating TCS combined with TS in clinical practice.