ACUTE URINE RETENTION - AN UNUSUAL SIGN O F SYRINGOMYELIA IN A PATIENT GIVEN CYPROHEPTADINE

Syringomyelia is rare in children aged less than 10 years, and bladder dysfunction is an unlikely first manifestation. This report describes a case of repeated episodes of acute urinary retention in a young gir l revealing syringomyelia and Arnold-Chiari malformation. Case report. - A 2.5 year-old girl was admitted because she was suffering from acu te urinary retention. Her poor appetite had been treated with cyprohep tadine, a histamine type I blocking drug. Clinical investigation, reve aled no local cause fo, tills bladder dysfunction except moderate spas ticity of the legs. Cystography showed no vesicoureteral reflux. Becau se the episodes of urinary retention recurred each day, magnetic reson ance imaging (MRI) was performed; this showed the typical features of syringomycelin extending from C5 to T11 plus Arnold-Chiari malformatio n. The cyproheptadine was discontinued and tile urinary retention disa ppeared. Conclusion. - Cyproheptadine may have revealed latent neuroge nic bladder in this case, although urodynamic studies, performed 3 mon ths later, detected no bladder dysfunction.