%0 Journal Article
%T Post-traumatic syringomyelia producing paraplegia in an infant
%J Child's nervous system
%D 2008
%A Sgouros, Spyros
%A Sharif, Salman
%V 24
%N 3
%P 357-60; discussion 361
%X BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic syringomyelia is described in adults after spinal trauma but extremely rarely seen in children, especially in the first year of life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We describe a boy who, at the age of 7 months, suffered spinal trauma during a car accident when he was held at his mother's lap and suffered extreme flexion of his torso. He suffered a mid-shaft fracture of his right femur, treated with hip spica for 6 weeks. After removal of the spica, it was noticed that he was not moving his legs, but he had preserved pain sensation in the lower half of his trunk and legs. A spine magnetic resonance scan performed 2 months after the injury showed a compressed wedge fracture of the body of T5 vertebra, kyphosis and a large syringomyelia cavity extending from T4 to T8. He had two operations to control the syringomyelia with laminotomy-laminoplasty, dissection of the arachnoid adhesions initially and drainage of the cavity on the second operation, with only modest success. He remains paraplegic 7 years after the injury. He has received thoracic brace immediately after the first spinal operation, which avoided kyphosis. DISCUSSION: Spinal trauma is rare in the first year of life; hence, post-traumatic syringomyelia is very rarely seen in infants. Nevertheless, it should be suspected after a major trauma, in the presence of paraplegia. Surgical treatment of post-traumatic syringomyelia in young children has the additional consideration of post-laminotomy kyphosis; hence, thoracic brace should be used early.<p /><p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group
%@ 0256-7040
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00381-007-0531-2