Posttraumatic syringomyelia. Case report

The ninth case of posttraumatic syringomyelia with postmortem confirmation is presented. Onset of symptoms occurred 19 years after the original trauma. The review of the literature with a discussion of postulated mechanisms of syrinx distention follows. The present case differs from previously reported postmortem cases in that there was communication through the medullary parenchyma with the fourth ventricle.