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Start free with EleplanSecondary syringomyelia
ORPHA:99857Disease
What it is
Secondary syringomyelia is a rare medullar disease defined as a development of a fluid-filled cavity or syrinx within the spinal cord due to blockage of CSF circulation (e.g., due to basal archnoiditis, meningeal carcinomatosis, various mass lesions), spinal cord injury (e.g., due to trauma, radiation necrosis, hemorrhage, spinal abscess), spinal dysraphism or intramedullary tumours. It presents with neuropathic pain, numbness, muscular weakness, changes in tone or spasticity or autonomic changes (hyperhidrosis, heart rate or blood pressure instability). Selective loss of pain and temperature with relative preservation of dorsal column function (touch and pressure) are classic findings.
Key facts
- Age of onset
- Adult
- Classified as
- Disease
Recorded for the broader condition
- Prevalence
- 1-9 / 100 000 (Europe)Syringomyelia
- Inheritance
- Not applicableSyringomyelia
Orphanet records these for the broader condition rather than for this specific form. They are a starting point, not a figure for this subtype — subtypes often differ, and some are defined by being rarer than the condition they sit under.
Signs and symptoms
Common30–79%
14Sometimes5–29%
10- Blurred vision
- Bulbar palsy
- CNS demyelination
- Distal sensory impairment of all modalities
- Dysuria
- Meningioma
- Nystagmus
- Progressive cerebellar ataxia
and 2 more in this range
These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
ICD-10 codes
ICD-10 has no distinct code for most rare diseases, so many are filed under the nearest available one. A shared code identifies the group, not this disease — the ORPHAcode above is what identifies it.
Related health topics
Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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