SURGICAL TREATMENT OF SYRINGOBULBIA AND SYRINGOPONTIA

Abstract

SURGICAL operation on the brain stem for the relief of syringobulbia and syringopontia is herewith reported in 2 cases, with successful outcome. In a search of the literature I was unable to find reports of or references to precedence in the direct surgical attack on this entity. Its counterpart in the spinal cord, syringomyelia, has been successfully treated and reported on by a number of authors. Frequently called the Puussepp procedure, the operation for syringomyelia was performed by Elsberg¹at an earlier date, and Abbe and Coley were credited by Adelstein²with the first report of this procedure, in 1892. Adelstein, Frazier,³Putnam,⁴Kuhlendahl,⁵Cox,⁶Worster-Drought and associates,⁷Woods and Pimenta⁸and others cited by them have all reported on the surgical treatment of syringomyelia. Whereas Frazier,⁹in evaluating 2 of his own cases and 14 early cases collected from the