Syringobulbia as a cause of laryngeal stridor in childhood

ALCALA, HILDA M.D.
DODSON, W. EDWIN M.D.

Department of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, the Edward Mallinckrodt Department of Pediatrics, and the Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, and the Division of Neurology, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis.

This study was supported in part by NINDS grant T01–05633–08 and NIH grant GM-00897.

Received for publication March 13, 1975.

Reprint requests should be addressed to Dr. Dodson, St. Louis Children's Hospital. Division of Pediatric Neurology, 500 South Kingshighway, St. Louis, MO 63110.

Neurology 25(9):p 875-878, September 1975.

Article abstract

A 10-year, 11-month-old boy who had had chronic stridor since birth died suddenly following the development of slowly progressive symptoms of respiratory obstruction due to vocal cord paralysis. Autopsy showed extensive bilateral syringobulbia, with the greatest involvement in the nuclei ambigui. Other brain-stem tracts and nuclei were only partially affected. These findings support the theory of the early developmental origin of syringobulbia.