Common Causes Of Syringomyelia

Syringomyelia is a disease characterized when a cyst filled with fluid or a syrinx, develops inside of the spinal cord. Nerve fibers can get injured as the syrinx enlarges and becomes longer over time. Due to this, there is interference with the normal process of information relay to the brain and from the brain to the other parts of the body. The fluid with a watery consistency that usually encompasses and protects the spinal cord and the brain is called cerebrospinal fluid. There is a small central channel that runs through the entire spinal cord, and with syringomyelia, the cerebrospinal fluid congregates inside of the spinal cord tissues creating a syrinx. Get to know the leading causes of syringomyelia now.

Chiari Type 1 Malformation

One major cause of syringomyelia is called Chiari type 1 malformation. This abnormality is a congenital structural abnormality sometimes attributed to a smaller than normal posterior fossa, or the housing cavity of the cerebellum in the brain. In Chiari type 1 malformation, the cerebellum in the brain is lower laying then normal in the area where the spinal cord and brain converge. Most of the time the cerebellar tonsils, which are components of the cerebellum, distend into the spinal canal from the base of the skull. Due to this obtrusion, pressure begins to build in the brain. Often a syrinx will develop as a result of the fluid pressure build up over time in the neck or cervical portion of the spinal canal. It is common for a diagnosis of Chiari type 1 malformation and syringomyelia to go hand in hand because of the way the induced pressure inside of the brain results in pulse waves of the cerebrospinal fluid downward through the spinal column.

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Arachnoiditis

Arachnoiditis is a disorder in which there is an occurrence of a stage of acute inflammation that happens in the outermost and innermost membranes that encompass and protect the spinal cord, nerve roots, and brain. This disorder can be caused by viruses, bacteria, chronic degenerative disease of the spinal discs, or spinal stenosis. The problematic inflammation is a response by the cerebrospinal fluid to foreign invaders, and in arachnoiditis, the inflammation is excessive causing fibrosis and scarring in the spinal cord. In addition, the nerve roots also will begin to adhere to each other or the Dural sac, which is called clumping. The clumping can cause severe interference with the root and spinal cord functioning. As a result, fluid-filled cysts often form inside of the spinal tissue (syringomyelia) from the disturbances made in the normal cerebral spinal fluid flow and the velocity of which it flows at. Arachnoiditis is simply another condition that influences changes in the fluid pressure and flow inside of and outside of the spinal cord.

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