Hydromyelia

I had a compression fracture of L1 six yrs ago.For a few days following my bladder and bowels stopped working and I had problems with a sore neck.
Two years ago began having stiffness in right leg and tingling in foot, sensory changes in my skin.MRI showed a small syrinx. saw orthopaedic surgeon who did not know what this was and told me the MRI was fine.Began having muscle spasms and prickling in the left side of my face and numbness in my tongue. Both arms and my back became very stiff and my right arm became frozen and would not move in any direction. This is much better now but the stiffness remains.I have pain in the back of my head and neck.I saw a neurologist who did not seem to know about syrinxes.
I finally made contact with a neurosurgeon and he was excellent.
He says there is a syringomyelia cavity taking the form of modest dilation of the central canal in the mid thoracic spine called hydromyelia. There is a degree of basilar invagination at the craniovertebral junction and the cisterna magna is small as a result. He thinks there is adequate room for CSF to flow. The cerebral ventricles are normal size but the CSF over the hemispheres is of prominent volume.He thinks I may have had a whiplash which has caused a local haemorrhage and fibrosis.He is going to do MR flow studies to check the movement of CSF but there is a six month waiting list.Do I have any reason to be concerned about the wait.Sometimes the ground looks further away than it should and I feel lightheaded for a few seconds.I fell on my back just after my symptoms began two yrs ago.Thank you.

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

Very difficult to form an accurate medical opinion without seeing the MRI myself and knowing more information regarding the exact size (length and diameter) and location of the syrinx. And although I am certainly not as familiar with your case as your neurosurgeon, I would be very cautious in attributing all of your symptoms to the syrinx or the apparent?narrowing of the cisterna magna (bony canal in which the lower part of the brain meets with the spinal cord).  Inadequate flow of the CSF may be clinically manifested (among a number of symptoms) as headache, visual changes, and memory/cognitive changes.  If you start to experience significant worsening of these symptoms, then I would let your doctors know to expedite the flow study.  Otherwise there does not appear to be an emergent need for the flow study and 6 months (even though it seems like quite a long wait) should be ok.  Another consideration is that before you agree to any type of surgical intervention such as a shunt or ??enlargement of the the cisterna magna, think about getting a second opinion from another neurosurgeon, preferrably at a major academic center just to make sure you're getting the whole picture.  Best of luck.