Dr. Heiss/ Can a small syrinx cause symptoms?

[Guest guest]

#4 So often SM'ers are told that a small syrinx doesn't cause pain, when is

a syrinx not considered " small " ? Even the NIH study has rejected people,

saying their syrinx was " too small "

Dr. Heiss answer: Patients with Chiari I can have symptoms with a large

syrinx, small syrinx, or no syrinx. These patients may benefit from

craniocervical decompression.

Small syrinxes are difficult to assess because they appear on MRI scans to

be identical to the central spinal cord canal, a normal structure. The

central spinal canal, being normal, would not cause pain and another cause

of the pain would need to be considered. Small syrinxes may result from

conditions such as trauma, infection, or inflammation that cause a small

amount of injury to the spinal cord. The injury occurs over a short period

of time. Pain originates from the injured spinal cord around the small

syrinx. The injury that occurred to the spinal cord during the formation of

the small syrinx cannot be reversed by surgical treatment and may be made

worse by it.

Dr. Heiss

[Guest guest]

It's interesting to note that Dr Heiss believes that at least some

cases of Syringomyelia (often associated with Chiari I malformation)

can be caused by infection and inflammation. I've thought this too.

>

> #4 So often SM'ers are told that a small syrinx doesn't cause pain,

when is

> a syrinx not considered " small " ? Even the NIH study has rejected people,

> saying their syrinx was " too small "

>

> Dr. Heiss answer: Patients with Chiari I can have symptoms with a large

> syrinx, small syrinx, or no syrinx. These patients may benefit from

> craniocervical decompression.

>

> Small syrinxes are difficult to assess because they appear on MRI

scans to

> be identical to the central spinal cord canal, a normal structure. The

> central spinal canal, being normal, would not cause pain and another

cause

> of the pain would need to be considered. Small syrinxes may result from

> conditions such as trauma, infection, or inflammation that cause a small

> amount of injury to the spinal cord. The injury occurs over a short

period

> of time. Pain originates from the injured spinal cord around the small

> syrinx. The injury that occurred to the spinal cord during the

formation of

> the small syrinx cannot be reversed by surgical treatment and may be

made

> worse by it.

>

> Dr. Heiss

>

>

>