Syringobulbia in Patients with Chiari Malformation Type I: A Systematic Review

Biomed Res Int. 2019 Mar 19:2019:4829102. doi: 10.1155/2019/4829102. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

This study aimed to summarize the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of Chiari malformation type I- (CM-1-) associated syringobulbia. We performed a literature review of CM-1-associated syringobulbia in PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Web of Science databases. Our concerns were the clinical features, radiologic presentations, treatment therapies, and prognoses of CM-1-associated syringobulbia. This review identified 23 articles with 53 cases. Symptoms included headache, neck pain, cranial nerve palsy, limb weakness/dysesthesia, Horner syndrome, ataxia, and respiratory disorders. The most frequently involved area was the medulla. Most of the patients also had syringomyelia. Surgical procedures performed included posterior fossa decompression, foramen magnum decompression, cervical laminectomy, duraplasty, and syringobulbic cavity shunt. Most patients experienced symptom alleviation or resolution postoperatively. A syringobulbic cavity shunt provided good results in refractory cases. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of syringobulbia in CM-1 patients, especially those with symptoms of sudden-onset brain-stem involvement. The diagnosis relies on the disorder's specific symptomatology and magnetic resonance imaging. Our review suggests that the initial therapy should be posterior fossa decomposition with or without duraplasty. In refractory cases, additional syringobulbic cavity shunt is the preferred option.

Publication types

  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Arnold-Chiari Malformation / diagnosis*
  • Arnold-Chiari Malformation / therapy*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Headache / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
  • Male
  • Medulla Oblongata / physiopathology*
  • Middle Aged
  • Neurosurgical Procedures
  • Syringomyelia / physiopathology
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Young Adult