UTILITY OF EARLY POSTOPERATIVE MRI IN HINDBRAIN-RELATED SYRINGOMYELIA- A PRELIMINARY PROSPECTIVE-STUDY ON 5 PATIENTS

We report a series of five patients operated on for hindbrain-related syringomyelia with posterior fossa decompression and duraplasty. In al l cases an early postoperative MRI was performed (24-36 h after surger y). These images have been compared with the preoperative ones and wit h those obtained, 1, 3 and 6 months after operation. Both before and a fter surgery there was not always a tight correlation between clinical and MRI pictures. In all but one patient the early postoperative MR i mages showed a reduction of syrinx size and were as to those obtained later. We discuss the results observed in our small series and analyze the role of early postoperative MRI studies in patients with hindbrai n-related syringomyelia.