Home > Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders > Syringomyelia

Definition

The term syringomyelia refers to a collection of differing conditions characterized by damage to the spinal cord that is caused by a formation of abnormal fluid-filled cavities (syrinx) within the cord. In 1827, French physician Charles-Prosper Ollivier d'Angers (1796–1845) suggested the term syringomyelia after the Greek syrinx, meaning pipe or tube, and myelos, meaning marrow. Later, the term hydromyelia was used to indicate a dilatation of the central canal, and syringomyelia referred to cystic cavities separate from the central spinal canal.

Description

The cavities may be a result of spinal cord injury, tumors of the spinal cord, or congenital defects. An idiopathic form of syringomyelia (a form of the...