Thoracic Syringomyelia in a Patient with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Daniele Lo Coco
Neurology Unit, Civico General Hospital ARNAS, 90127, Palermo, Italy and Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, ALS Clinical Research Center, University of Palermo, Via G. La Loggia 1, 90129 Palermo, Italy
Rossella Spataro
Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, ALS Clinical Research Center, University of Palermo, Via G. La Loggia 1, 90129 Palermo, Italy
Alfonsa Claudia Taiello
Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, ALS Clinical Research Center, University of Palermo, Via G. La Loggia 1, 90129 Palermo, Italy
Vincenzo La Bella *
Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, ALS Clinical Research Center, University of Palermo, Via G. La Loggia 1, 90129 Palermo, Italy
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
We report a patient with bulbar-onset, clinically defined, sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis bearing an isolated syringomyelia of the lower thoracic portion of the spinal cord. This is a very unusual association between two rare and progressive disorders, both affecting the spinal motoneurons. Syringomyelia might have acted as a phenotypic modifier in this ALS patient.
Keywords: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, syringomyelia, spinal dysraphism, disease progression