Association of HTLV-I with Arnold Chiari syndrome and syringomyelia

• Autor(a) principal: Viana,Graça Maria de Castro
• Data de Publicação: 2008
• Outros Autores: Diniz Neto,João Arnaud, Furtado,Igor de Sousa, Binda Júnior,José Roberto, Tanaka,Bárbara Neiva, Nascimento,Maria do Desterro Soares Brandão
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1413-86702008000600018
• topic: HTLV-I; Arnold Chiari syndrome; syringomyelia

HTLV-I is associated with a broad spectrum of manifestations, including tropical spastic paraparesis and adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. Arnold Chiari syndrome is a condition characterized by herniation of the cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum. This condition should be suspected in all patients with headache and impaired motor coordination. Syringomyelia is a developmental anomaly that leads to the formation of an intramedullary cavity. Its clinical presentation is classically characterized by syringomyelic dissociation of sensation, with suspended distribution in the proximal portion of the trunk and upper limbs and preservation in other regions. We report here a case of association of the three diseases, which is rare in clinical practice, illustrating the difficulty in the diagnosis and therapeutic management of these conditions.