Surgical treatment of syringomyelia associated with spinal dysraphism

Clinical and radiological features of syringomyelia in 15 patients with spinal dysraphism are reported. There were 8 patients with occult spinal dysraphism (lumbosacral lipoma) and 7 with spina bifida aperta (meningomyelocele). Syringomyelia with spinal dysraphism can be radiologically divided into two types according to the dysraphic state. The syrinx in the patients with occult spinal dysraphism occurred immediately rostral to the lipoma and was localized to the lower thoracic to lumbar levels, while in the meningomyelocele patients the syrinx extended from the cervical to the thoracic level. Large syrinx formation was recognized in 1 of the 7 occult spinal dysraphism cases and 3 of the 8 meningomyelocele cases. For syringomyelia with occult spinal dysraphism, 4 patients underwent syringo-subarachnoid shunting (S-S shunt, 2 cases) or syringostomy (2 cases) during an untethering operation. In the case of meningomyelocele, S-S shunts were placed in 2 patients. Collapse of the syrinx was achieved in all 6 patients who underwent S-S shunting or syringostomy. Decreased size of the syrinx was also noted in 3 occult spinal dysraphism patients who underwent untethering operations alone. In conclusion, a large syrinx in the case of spinal dysraphism should be surgically treated. S-S shunting is effective in both types of syringomyelia. Foramen magnum decompression may be an alternative method of surgical treatment for syringomyelia in patients with meningomyelocele.