Transcranial cortical stimulation in syringomyelia: correlation with disability?

Central motor conduction times were studied using transcranial magnetic stimulation in 17 patients with syringomyelia. Central motor conduction time (lower-limb pathway) was prolonged or responses were absent in 44% of stimulations. When results were compared with clinical findings and magnetic resonance tomography, only a weak correlation was found. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is thus of limited value for diagnosing and monitoring the course of syringomyelia.