Abstract: The diagnosis of syringomyelia was confirmed by clinical inference before magnetic res-onance image(MRI).The use of MRI made it possible to show the shape, size, position and number of cavities within spinal cord directly on three-dimensional images, So the doctors could recognize this disease further.The authors reported 102 cases with syringomyelia demonstrated by MRI.Their clinical manifestations were complicated and diversified.The pathogenies were varied including infection, tumour, trauma, osteoarthropathy and congenital malformation.The authors think that syringomyelia is a syndrome of cavities within spinal cord due to different causes, and MRI is the most powerful instrument for diagnosing this disease.

Key words: syringomyelia, magnetic resonance image(MRl), diagnosis