Angela Grieco. Arnold Chair I syndrome, Syringomyelia C7-T1 and idiopathic Scoliosis. Traction myelopathy

Published by ICSEB at 8 April, 2013

Surgery date:  March 2008

My name is Angela Grieco and I live in Italy, in the province of Matera. I would like to tell you about how I discovered that I had Arnold Chiari I and Syringomyelia. Since adolescence I started to have strong neuralgias in the face, neck and eyes. Over the years these pains became more and more frequent. I had backaches and if somebody touched me I could feel a cord triggering pain just next to the thoracic spine. I went to see a lot of orthopaedists until a sports physician gave me some injections into that cord. When I was around forty years old the problems worsened: pins and needles in the extremities, vertigos, pain in the face, a strong compression at the end of the spine and a acute pain at the centre of the head.

After having to insist a lot I got a prescription from my local neurologist to get a magnetic resonance, and the discovery of the disease followed. I went to the Institute Besta of Milan where I was told that the only solution would be a decompression, by chance I heard Pietro Gigliola’s story and I contacted him and it was him who introduced Dr. Royo and Rita Presbulgo to me. I had surgery on 04/03/2008 in Barcelona and the improvements showed quickly, I never again had those unbelievable pains that forced me to go out with Toradol in my handbag. I can live with the cervical disc herniations and the syringomyelia C7 – T1.

I want to thank Dr. Royo for his professionalism and extraordinary  humbleness, Pietro Gigliola for sharing his story and for letting me know how to get in contact with Dr. Royo, and also Rita Presbulgo , who gave me lots of support before and after the surgery.