Syringomyelia in a patient with rheumatoid subluxation of the cervical spine.

A patient with rheumatoid damage of the cervical spine with cervical cord compression, complaining of a typical syringomyelic syndrome is described. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed cord compression due to an upward displacement of the odontoid peg with a mass of pannus behind the dens, and a syrinx cavity extending from C1 to T1. We postulate that this patient's syringomyelia probably represents a complication of cervical rheumatoid arthritis that has not been described.