Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2007 , Vol 53 , Num 4

Neuropathic Arthropathy of the Elbow as an Initial Clinical Presentation of Cervical Syringomyelia: A Case Report

Aliye Aydoğan 1 ,Nuri Çetin 2 ,Mahmut Nafiz Akman 2 ,Ayşe Dilek 2
1 Başkent Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Alanya Araştırma ve Uygulama Hastanesi, Alanya
2 Başkent Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, Ankara

Syringomyelia is a progressive degenerative disorder in which a longitudinal cyst forms within the spinal cord. Complaints may include ataxia, weakness and disorders of sensation. In late phases of the disease, neuropathic arthropathy can be seen, similar to other neurological disorders which cause the loss of superficial or deep sensorial touch. In this article, we present a 58 year old man, diagnosed with syringomyelia with neuropathic arthropathy whose initial complaint was painless edema and functional deficits in his left elbow. It should be kept in mind that, neuropathic arthropathy can be one of the first symptoms in slowly progressive nontraumatic spinal cord lesions. 

Keywords : Neuropathic arthropathy, elbow, syringomyelia