[Follow-up of 12 cases of communicating cervico-bulbar syringo-hydromelia, 6 and 12 years after surgical treatment].

In this report, we present a series of twelve homogeneous cases among twentyfive patients having undergone, between 1967 and 1973, a surgical operation of the posterior fossa for disturbances in the cranio-spinal junction. All the twelve cases presented a malformation of Arnold Chiari, and a "syringo-hydromyelia" (6 times) or "bulbia" (6 times) communicating with the IVth ventricle. Two cases with hydrocephalus and H.I.C. have been drained before the operation of the posterior fossa. Two cases out of 12 have been shunted for hydrocephalus revealed by a cerebral scanning 4 and 11 years after the operation. Tranverse axial tomography showed an enlarged medulla in seven out of 12 examinated cases. Two deaths have to be noted, 3 and 9 years after the operation, due to cardiac failure and lung-embolism. After a period from 6 to 12 years after the operation, we may speak of improvement and stabilisation in our cases. We think that these results are due to the operative technique we have chosen following the theoretical considerations of Gardner.