Confused?  Maybe this diagram can help:

Note the dark syrinx cavity in the spinal cord of this child.  Also note the white-outline of the Chiari malformation.  The syrinx cavity is caused by the Chiari malformation blocking the flow of spinal fluid.

Still confused?  Think of the Chiari as a "cork" that is blocking the flow of spinal fluid so that it has nowhere to go but inside the spinal cord itself.  This is why surgeons aim to "decompress" the Chiari by removing part of the bone that surrounds that area.  Once normal flow of spinal fluid is permitted, the patient should see their syrinx resolve. 

For a detailed look at the decompression surgery, please see the "Treatment" sub-section under our "Chiari" section.

Please understand that we are only discussing the treatment of syringomyelia that is caused by a Chiari malformation.  Other disorders can cause syringomyelia and treatment of those should be discussed with an appropriate specialist. 

The best surgery for syringomyelia will aim to fix the cause of the syrinx and not to operate on the sryinx directly.

Take a look at this chart that shows some of the findings we've seen in Chiari patients that we have recently operated on.  The first two, "extradural compression" and "tonsillar impaction" go along with the malfomation itself.  However, note that approximately 37% of the patients with a syrinx also have scar tissue built up.  This is why the surgeon must take his time and figure out what is causing the blockage of spinal fluid, and take appropriate actions in order to fix the blockage.