Early Development of Syringomyelia after Spinal Cord Injury: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

We report a case of post-traumatic syringomyelia (PTS), which developed 2 months after spinal cord injury (SCI). A 20-year-old man who was involved in a motorcycle accident sustained a complete SCI resulting from a burst fracture of the T5 vertebral body. He underwent posterior fixation with decompression at another hospital 2 days after the injury. Postoperative imaging suggested that spinal stenosis endured at the T4 level and swelling of the spinal cord above that level. Two months later, he felt dysesthetic pain in his forearms and hands, but the cause of the pain was not examined in detail. Four months after the injury, he presented with motor weakness in the upper extremities. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed syringomyelia ascending from the T3 level to the C1 level, and he was referred to our hospital immediately. The imaging studies suggested that PTS was caused by congestion of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at the T3 level. The patient was treated with syringosubarachnoid (SS) shunt at the T1-T2 level, whereby neurological symptoms of the upper extremities were immediately relieved. Postoperative MRI showed shrinkage of the syrinx. At the latest follow-up 2 years postoperatively, there was no sign of recurrence. It is noteworthy that PTS potentially occurs in the early phase after severe SCI. We discuss relevant pathology and surgical treatment through a review of previous literature.