The Filum Disease and the research areas of the R&D Department at the Institut Chiari & Siringomielia & Escoliosis de Barcelona (ICSEB)

Published by ICSEB at 27 May, 2022

The Research & Development Department at ICSEB was officially created in 2014, following Dr. Royo-Salvador’s tireless work and the Institute’s on-going clinical activity.

In the first years of his academic studies, in collaboration with Professor José María Domenech (Chair of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona – UAB – from 1975 to 1992), Dr. Royo-Salvador published his doctoral thesis focussed on understanding idiopathic syringomyelia and its etiologic mechanism.

Since then, he devoted himself to understanding what he later discovered was the cause of an excessive caudal traction exerted on the entire nervous system by the Filum Terminale ligament. He described its pathological functioning – until then of unknown origin – within all the related conditions (Arnold-Chiari I Syndrome, idiopathic Siringomielia, idiopathic Scoliosis, Basilar Impression, Platybasia, Odontoid retroflexion, Kinking of the brainstem and others). Hence, he went on to describe a new disease, the Filum Disease, which includes the above-mentioned conditions.

In patients with these diagnoses, Dr. Royo-Salvador started applying a minimally invasive treatment, the Sectioning of the Filum Terminale. The description, implementation and perfection of the surgical technique generated an extensive casuistry, several lines of research and a series of publications dedicated to deepen each new pathognomonic concept related to the Filum Disease and its treatment.

In the meantime, at ICSEB they were developing a set of highly specialized protocols for the Filum Disease, which have been registered as Filum System^® health method. These protocols revolve around the etiopathogenesis, the diagnosis, and the medical, surgical and rehabilitation treatment.

In 2020 the ICSEB research team published an article in which they describe the clinical and imaging diagnosis of the Filum Disease, based on a sample of 373 cases. Thus, the Filum Disease and the Neuro-cranio-vertebral syndrome were further reaffirmed as entirely different from other syndromes, with which they were often confused, especially with the Occult tethered cord syndrome.

Currently, our R&D Department, in collaboration with Universidad de Barcelona (UB), Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB) and Sanitas CIMA Hospital, continues to study all possible areas of interest, conditions that are included and associated with the Filum Disease, technical, methodological, neurosurgical and expert systems advances. Their sole objective is contributing to knowledge and to new findings, to provide patients with a better quality of life.

Most of the research projects, as well as the free trainings on the research findings and the financial aid to support patients’ treatment, are funded by the Chiari & Scoliosis & Syringomyelia Foundation (CSSF). The CSSf’s main and almost only benefactor is Dr. Royo-Salvador. Any additional contribution to the cause will be much appreciated. If you wish to make a donation, please go to: https://chiarifoundationbcn.com/donar/

Research & Development Department
at Institut Chiari & Siringomielia & Escoliosis de Barcelona