What is idiopathic syringomyelia?
In rare cases, there is no discernable cause for why a syrinx forms; this is referred to as idiopathic syringomyelia. Recent research has shown, however, that even in some cases of idiopathic syringomyelia there is crowding at the skull-spine junction, even though there appears to be no Chiari malformation. In these cases, the surgery used to treat Chiari has been successful in treating idiopathic syringomyelia.
