Background: Intractable hiccups (IH) due to syringomyelia or syringomyelia/syringobulbia associated with Chiari type I malformations (CMI) are extremely rare. Here, we present two patients who presented with IH; one had a CMI with syringomyelia/syringobulbia, and the other, with CMI and syringomyelia.
Case description: The first patient was an 18-year-old female who presented with IH attributed to a holocord syrinx and syringobulbia involving the right dorsolateral medulla. The second patient was a 22-year-old female with a C3-5 syringomyelia. Both patients successfully underwent foramen magnum decompressions that improved their symptoms, while subsequent magnetic resonance studies confirmed shrinkage of their syringobulbia/syringomyelia cavities.
Conclusion: IH was due to cervical syringomyelia/syringobulbia in one patient and cervical syringomyelia in the other; both were successfully managed with foramen magnum decompressions.
Keywords: Chiari type I malformation; Intractable hiccups; Lateral medullary syndrome; Syringobulbia; Syringomyelia.
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