Cell Therapy as a New Approach to the Treatment of Posttraumatic Syringomyelia.

BACKGROUND: Cell transplantation with autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) seems to be a therapeutic promise for patients with established spinal cord injury, achieving improvement in their quality of life, but there is no experience with the application of this type of cell therapy in patients suffering posttraumatic syringomyelia.

OBJECTIVE: To study the possible utility of cell therapy with autologous MSCs in posttraumatic syringomyelia.

METHODS: A 40-year-old man with complete paraplegia since 1991 as a consequence of a Th4 vertebral fracture showed a great posttraumatic syringomyelia that extended up to C2 vertebral level, without signs of recent worsening. Autologous MSCs (150 × 106 ) were injected into the syrinx, without drainage or aspiration.

RESULTS: One year after cell therapy, syrinx was reduced without collapse of cervical spinal cord. During the course of follow-up, clear clinical improvement was observed, mainly in sphincter dysfunction.

CONCLUSIONS: Injection of MSCs in the syrinx of posttraumatic syringomyelia is safe and is associated with clinical and neuroimaging improvement. The possibility of cell therapy as a new approach to posttraumatic syringomyelia, or even for idiopathic syringomyelia, is an open door that requires further study.