Avoiding Spinal Cord DisastersThe Key is Early Recognition
J. Stephen Huff, MD, FACEPUniversity of Virginia
Departments of Emergency Medicine and NeurologyJune 25 - 27, 2009
Spinal Cord DisastersThe Key is Early Recognition
• Injury patterns
• Differential diagnosis
• Cases
• Pitfalls
• Pearls
Spinal Cord Syndromesand Injury Patterns
• Complete
• Incomplete– Anterior– Posterior – Central Cord– Brown-Sequard– Cauda equina lesion– Conus medullaris lesion
Spinal Cord Syndromesand Injury Patterns
• Complete– Transverse sensory pattern– Transverse motor pattern
• What’s the level?
Motor levels
• C4 level – quadriplegia
• C5 level + deltoid, biceps
• C6 level + wrist extensors, brachioradialis
• C7 level + triceps
• T1 level + finger abductors
Motor levelsT2 – T12 paraplegic
• L1 intact – Iliopsoas (hip flexion)
• L2 + hip adductors
• L3 + quadriceps
• L4 + tibialis anterior (dorsiflexion)
• L5 + hamstrings
• S1 + gastrocs (plantarflexioin)
Patterns of sensory loss
• Bilateral segmental loss
• Pinprick loss alternating with position & vibration loss
• Sacral sparing
• Sacral loss
Reflexes
• Reflex assessment may be unreliable in acute lesions
• Autonomic reflexes
• “Spinal Shock”
Case 1 - multiple trauma
• Unrestrained driver
• Head injury
• Intubated at scene
• Immobilized / IV’s
Case 1 - Pressure problems
• Hypotensive…
• No fractures on early xrays
– CXR
– Pelvis
• Peritoneal lavage negative
• ? Why hypotensive?
Pitfalls – complete lesions
• Failed recognition
• ABCD
• Attributing hypotension to the spinal cord injury erroneously
• Steroid stumble
Case 2 - football player
• Awake, alert
• Strength exam normal
• Severe pain upper extremities
• Grip good
Central Cord Syndrome
• Upper extremity symptoms
• Lower extremities intact
• Variable sensory findings
• Variable bladder dysfunction
Central Cord Syndrome
• “Burning Hands” in football players with spinal cord injuries….
• Cord at risk
• Narrow canal – etiology?
• Advanced imaging
• Restriction of play?
Case 3 – chest pain
• 53 year-old man with chest pain and upper back pain
• Left-sided, sharp, + movement
• Hx COPD, sarcoidosis, CHF, pulmonary embolism, diabetes
• On prednisone, metformin, diuretic
• Wheelchair at times, active
Case 3 – Clinical course
• Returned 48 hours with leg weakness
• Blood cultures + Staph aureus
• MRI- epidural fluid collection
Sensory
• Paresthesias-positive
• Negative symptoms
• Pain – Local pain– Radicular pain– Diffuse burning/aching
Compressive lesions
– Spinal epidural hematoma– Spinal epidural abscess– Disciitis– Disc– Neoplasm– Metastatic tumors– Primary CNS tumor
Spinal Epidural Abscess
• Acute, sub-acute, and chronic
• Thoracic location more common
• Extends 4-5 levels
• Triad– Back pain– Fevers– Progressive neurologic dysfunction
Spinal Epidural Abscess
• Risk factors– Intravenous drug abuse– Diabetes– Chronic renal failure– Alcoholism– Immunosuppression– Instrumentation
Spinal Epidural Abscessdiagnosis
• MRI diagnostic test of choice
• ESR elevated
• LP relatively contraindicated
Spinal Epidural AbscessTherapy
• Surgical decompression
• Antibiotics*– Staph coverage– MRSA
• Prognosis related to pre-op state
Compressive lesions
– Treatment generally similar…– Diagnosis…
• Exclude remedial causes…
– Steroids … – Decompression…– XRT for tumors…
• “the only XRT emergency….”
Case 4 – crack in neck
• Awakened with severe neck pain
• Became weak on way to ED
• Right-sided weakness– No facial droop – No speech difficulty
Case 4 – crack in neck
• At arrival, weak right arm and leg
– 4/5
– Left side normal
• Additional history– Strong family history of stroke– No medical history other than mild
hypertension
Spinal Epidural Hematoma
• Sudden, severe back pain
• Radicular component
• Progressive neurologic deficits
Spinal Epidural Hematoma
• Anticoagulant use
• Thrombocytopenia
• Liver disease / alcoholism
• Instrumentation
• MRI imaging modality of choice
Case 5
• Awake, alert
• Sitting on side of bed
• Lifting legs with arms
• Sensory level at umbilicus
“Hysterical paraplegia”
• Untenable patterns
– Sensory loss
– Motor loss
• Normal muscle tone
• Normal reflexes
• No bladder dysfunction
Low lesions
• Conus medullaris lesion
• Cauda equina lesion– Overlap / coexist– Sphincter involvement– UMN vs. LMN– Bilateral vs. unilateral
Nontraumatic etiologies of spinal cord dysfunction
• Demyelination– Multiple sclerosis / Transverse myelitis– Stroke
• AVM / SAH– Syringomyelia– Traumatic– Tumor
• Idiopathic spastic paraparesis– HIV myelopathy– Other myelopathies
• Compressive lesions
Avoiding Spinal Cord DisastersThe Key is Early Recognition
J. Stephen Huff, MD, FACEPUniversity of [email protected]