What causes syringomyelia?
One researcher noted that syringomyelia is not really a disease unto itself, because it is always the result of something else. By far, the most common cause of syringomyelia is a Chiari malformation. Although there are no strong statistics, about 30%-50% of people with Chiari also have syringomyelia. Syringomyelia can also form after a spinal cord injury (SCI), such as from a car accident or fall; this is called post-traumatic syringomyelia (PTS). PTS can form months or even years after such an injury. Syringomyelia can also be the result of a tumor or mass in the spinal cord.
