Terminal ventriculostomy in syringomyelia.

The authors report their experiences with two patients suffering from syringomyelia on whom terminal ventriculostomies were carried out. The good results which can be obtained if the patient is in a relatively good neurological condition are pointed out. The principle of terminal ventriculostomy is based on the assumption that syringomyelia is hydromyelia that has become symptomatic; with this in mind, it seems reasonable to relieve the patient's symptoms by draining the distended central canal at the lowest possible level. The father of the operation is Dr. Gardner, who has thoroughly studied syringomyelia, and proved that syringomyelia is not only an active hydromyelia but, that a "non-communicating" syringomyelia is a non-existent entity (1976, 1977).