Neurosurgical review
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The pathophysiology of syringomyelia development is not fully understood. Current prevailing theories suggest that increased pulse pressure in the subarachnoid space forces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through the spinal cord into the syrinx. It is generally accepted that the syrinx consists of CSF. ⋯ The here-proposed concept has the potential to unravel the riddle of syringomyelia and affords explanations to previously unanswered clinical and theoretical problems with syringomyelia. It also explains why syringomyelia associated with Chiari I malformations may develop in any part of the spinal cord including the medullary conus. Syringomyelia thus preferentially develops where the systolic CSF flow causes a suction effect on the spinal cord, i.e., at or immediately caudal to physiological or pathological encroachments of the spinal subarachnoid space.
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Neurosurgical review · Oct 2006
Review Case ReportsPosterior fossa brain tumors and arterial hypertension.
Hypertension caused by arterial compression of the rostral ventrolateral medulla is well described. Much less information is available on the association between neurogenic hypertension and posterior fossa brain tumors. To date, multiple reports have supported the impression that a small subpopulation of patients with posterior fossa tumors can present with arterial hypertension, and many of those patients achieved significant improvement of their hypertension after tumor resection and medullary decompression. To review the relationship between posterior fossa brain tumors and hypertension, we detail the history, basic science, and clinical reports along with an illustrative case regarding this topic.