Syringomyelia in Cavaliers

[malburley]

What can you tell me about syringomyelia or Arnold-Chiari syndrome in dogs

[Hippy]

Syring = tube or pipe from Greek; Muelos = marrow from Greek. Pretty similar to that in humans. Caused by deformity or containment of the spinal column either due to trauma or malformation of adjoining organs or tissue. It can also be caused by a cyst developing within the spinal cavity. The result is that cerebal spinal fluid is pumped into the spinal cord under heartbeat pressure and this disrupts the normal nerve function within this vital nervous trunk route. The symptoms vary from tingling and loss of heat sesation in extremities to loss of motor function in limbs, and include phantom pain, shallowness of breathing, episodes of tachycardia, blood pressure fluctuations and fatigue.

The usual diagnosis is by neurological reflex tests and abnormal gait analysis and can be confirmed by MRI scan of the spine, and treatment can be by any of a number of methods designed to relieve the pressure of Cerebal Spinal Fluid with in the spinal cavity. This can be removing the congestion surgically, removing the underlying compression on the spine, or providing drains to allow excess CSF to escape. In any event, it is possible that some long term harm may result from this condition as its onset is slow, and acute symptoms usually only occur after neurological damage.

If the dog can still walk and no lasting damage has been done to the motor pathways to the back legs then the outlook is good, provided that the fluid filled cavity can be relieved of abnormal pressure. If the dog is old and debilitated by other conditions it may not be advisable to submit it to anaesthesia, ruling out surgery as an option. In this case, dependant on the cause of the syringomyelia, it may not be possible to relieve the pressure, and deterioration of the condition may result.