Ayurveda Management of Syringomyelia - A Single Case Study

Background: Syringomyelia is a disorder in which a fluid filled cyst forms within the spinal cord and causes a wide variety of neuropathic symptoms. No permanent cure has been found yet in modern science to treat this disease. However different Panchkarma therapies along with oral drugs mentioned in Ayurveda texts have been found to be effective in this disease. In present case report a patient diagnosed with Arnold Chairi malformation syringohydromyelia Type 1 was treated with Ayurveda modalities. According to Ayurveda patient was diagnosed as kapha-avrita-pranavayu along with shiromarmaabhighata. Method: A 26years old female patient with the symptoms of dysphagia, regurgitation of food through nose, vertigo, repeated spitting thick sputum, weakness of right upper and lower limb associated with numbness and mild pain and hearing loss was given Ayurveda treatment. The features were assessed on the basis of classical signs and symptoms mentioned in Ayurveda. Panchakarma therapies such as karna-purana, shiropicchu etc. along with oral medications according to the line of treatment of above mentioned Ayurveda diagnosis were administered for 5 months. Improvement was assessed on the basis of relief in patients’s symptoms along with MRI reports and CSF flow study. Follow up was taken to evaluate the sustainability of the result. Result: Significant improvement was found in both classical signs and symptoms as well as in MRI and CSF flow study. There were significant relief in all mentioned complaints of patient apart from hearing loss. Size of syrinx reduced markedly in size in current MRI reportand CSF flow study. Conclusion: Present case study shows that the symptoms of syringomyelia can be successfully treated in accordance with the principles of Ayurveda.