[Spontaneous resolution of the syrinx. A case report and survey of the literature].

INTRODUCTION: Syringomyelia is characterized by the presence of single or multiple intramedullary cavities. Since Abbe and Coley performed the first syringotomy, a number of surgical techniques have been used in an attempt to collapse the cavities. Spontaneous resolution of the syrinx, however, is an unusual event that has been reported on very few occasions.

CASE REPORT: A two year old male with chronic neck pain and normal results from the neurological exploration. A craniocervical magnetic resonance scan revealed a Chiari type I malformation associated to a cervical syringomyelia, which disappeared spontaneously three years after it was diagnosed.

CONCLUSION: After reviewing the literature, we found that the case reported here is the first to describe a child in whom, despite the persistence of a Chiari malformation, there was complete spontaneous resolution of the syrinx.