Syringomyelia

Syringomyelia is a condition in which a fluid-filled cyst called a syrinx forms within your spinal cord. The syrinx can get bigger and elongate over time, resulting in damage to your spinal cord and compression and injury of the nerve fibers that carry information from your brain to the rest of your body and vice versa.

The fluid in the cyst is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This fluid normally surrounds and protects your brain and spinal cord. CSF also fills connected cavities within the center of your brain called the ventricles, which continue to a small central canal that runs the length of your spinal cord.

If you have syringomyelia, CSF collects within the tissue of your spinal cord, expands the central canal and forms a syrinx. Generally, a syrinx develops when the normal flow of CSF fluid around your spinal cord or lower brain stem is disturbed. When syrinxes affect your brain stem, the condition is called syringobulbia.

The upper portions of your spinal cord (cervical and thoracic) are often affected by syringomyelia.

Who does syringomyelia affect?

The majority of people with syringomyelia are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, but it can also develop in young children or older adults.

How common is syringomyelia?

Syringomyelia is rare. It affects approximately every 8 out of 100,000 people and accounts for up to 5% of paraplegia (paralysis of your legs and lower body) cases.