Chiari decompression for syringomyelia in the setting of IgG4-related hypertrophic pachymeningitis: A case-based...

Hypertrophic pachymeningitis can lead to clinical brainstem and cervical spinal cord compression leading to neurologic deficits. IgG4-related hypertrophic pachymeningitis (IgG4-RHP) is one recently recognized etiology of previously idiopathic cases. A 34-year-old right-handed female presented with slowly progressive neurologic symptoms and worsening radiographic syringomyelia. She successfully underwent Chiari decompression and excision of her pachymeningitis with improvement in her radiographic findings. Extensive clinical workup has led to a diagnosis of IgG4-RHP and treatment with steroids. IgG4-RHP is a rare cause of spinal cord compression and on our review of the literature this is the first description of significant syringomyelia associated with this condition. This remains a challenging entity to treat and neurology and rheumatology referrals should be placed early to investigate IgG4-RHP as an etiology for idiopathic cases. Treatment of this disease is likely to evolve with further research.