Syringomyelia in demyelinating disease of the central nervous system: Report of two cases

Abstract

Introduction. Syringomyelia is a cavitary extension inside the spinal cord which can be either symptomatic or congenitally-idiopathic. Syringomyelia during the course of the disease in patients presenting with clinically definite multiple sclerosis was described earlier. Syringomyelia in patients presenting with a clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of multiple sclerosis is unusual. Case Outline. We present two patients presenting with demy-elinating disease of the central nervous system with syringomyelia in the cervical and thoracic spinal cord. We did not find classical clinical signs of syringomyelia in our patients, but we disclosed syringomyelia incidentally during magnetic resonance exploration. Magnetic resonance exploration using the gadolinium contrast revealed the signs of active demyelinating lesions in the spinal cord in one patient but not in the other. Conclusion. Syringomyelia in demyelinating disease of the central nervous system opens the question whether it is a coincidental finding or a part of clinical features of the disease. Differentiation of the significance of syringomyelia finding in these patients plays a role in the choice of treatment concept in such patients.

Keywords

• syringomyelia
• demyelinating disease of the central nervous system
• multiple sclerosis
• clinically isolated syndrome