Posttraumatic Syringomyelia eMedicine PMR

Description: First described by Bastian in 1867, posttraumatic syringomyelia (PTS) refers to the development and progression of a cyst filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the spinal cord. PTS is a relatively infrequent, but potentially devastating, complication following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). PTS is characterized clinically by the often insidious progression of pain and loss of sensorimotor function that may manifest many years after traumatic SCI. If left untreated, PTS can result in loss of function, chronic pain, respiratory failure, or death.
Synonyms and related keywords: syringomyelia, posttraumatic cystic myelopathy, progressive posttraumatic cystic myelopathy, progressive posttraumatic noncystic myelopathy, cystic myelopathy, syrinx, posttraumatic spinal cord injury, syringomyelia, late neurological deterioration following spinal cord injury
Goetze & Priebe 2007