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Clinical manifestations and radiological characteristics in patients with idiopathic syringomyelia and scoliosis

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Abstract

Purpose

To clarify the clinical manifestation and radiological characteristics of idiopathic syringomyelia (IS) and to investigate the relationship between syrinx and scoliotic curves in IS-related scoliosis patients.

Methods

Fifty-five patients with IS and scoliosis were identified and reviewed retrospectively from June 2009 to December 2016. Radiographic features of syrinx, scoliosis and clinical manifestations of neurological deficits were collected. The syrinx/cord (S/C) ratio was defined as the anteroposterior diameter of syrinx divided by the diameter of spinal cord at the same level. Patients were classified into two groups, the thoracic group (T group, apex vertebra located from T2 to intervertebral disk of T11–T12) and the thoracolumbar/lumbar group (TL/L group, apex vertebra located from T12 to L5).

Results

There was no correlation between the radiological features of idiopathic syrinx and scoliotic curve parameters. The TL/L group had a lower level of most caudal extent (13.7 compared with 10.6, P = 0.029) and lower level of largest S/C ratio (12.0 compared with 8.7, P = 0.016) than that in T group. The deviated side of syrinx was not coincident with major curve convexity (27.2% concordance rate, P = 0.522) or dominant side of neurological deficit (16.3% concordance rate, P = 0.212).

Conclusions

Patients with major curves located on the thoracolumbar or lumbar spine had a much lower caudal extent and lower level of greatest S/C ratio compared to patients with major curves located on the thoracic spine. No significant relationships were detected between syrinx features, scoliotic curve parameters and neurological deficits.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 81330044, 81772424) and National Natural Science Foundation of Beijing (Grant No. 7151006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, No. 1 Shuai Fu Yuan, Wang Fu Jing Street, Beijing, 100730, China

    Haining Tan, Jianxiong Shen, Fan Feng, Jianguo Zhang, Hai Wang, Chong Chen & Zheng Li

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  1. Haining Tan
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  2. Jianxiong Shen
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  4. Jianguo Zhang
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Correspondence to Jianxiong Shen.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Tan, H., Shen, J., Feng, F. et al. Clinical manifestations and radiological characteristics in patients with idiopathic syringomyelia and scoliosis. Eur Spine J 27, 2148–2155 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-018-5679-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-018-5679-9

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