<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) after a minor trauma to the cervical spine has been reported in patients without preceding neurologic symptoms. Spinal canal stenosis may be the reason for the discrepancy between the severity of the injury and that of the trauma. The objective of this study was to investigate MRI parameters of the cervical spine in patients suffering from acute SCI and to investigate the use of these parameters for predicting the risk and severity of acute cervical SCI after a minor trauma to the cervical spine. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> Retrospective radiological study was conducted in Meenakshi Medical College and Research Institute Kanchipuram with fifty patients suffering from acute cervical SCI and 130 patients showing no neurologic deficits after a minor trauma to the cervical spine. The following calculations were performed using measurements from MR images the spinal canal to vertebral body ratio, the space available for the cord, and the canal-to-cord ratio. SPSS version 21 was used for analysis.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> All investigated MR image parameters in the SCI group were significantly (p<001) smaller compared with the control group. However, there was no significant difference in any parameter among the different American spinal injury association impairment score groups. A cut-off value of 8.0 mm for the minimal sagittal disc-level canal diameter yielded the largest positive predictive value and likelihood ratio for predicting SCI.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Patients at risk of acute SCI after a minor trauma to the cervical spine can be identified by applying a disc-level canal diameter cut-off value measured on MR images. Supplementary factors to the radiological characteristics of the spinal canal affect the severity of acute SCI after trauma.</p>
Abstract
Flexion-distraction injuries frequently cause traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). Post-traumatic instability can cause aggravation of the secondary SCI during patient's care. However, there is little information on how the pattern of disco-ligamentous injury affects the SCI severity and mechanism. This study objective was to analyze how different flexion-distraction disco-ligamentous injuries affect the SCI mechanisms during post-traumatic flexion and extension. A cervical spine finite element model including the spinal cord was used and different combinations of partial or complete intervertebral disc (IVD) rupture and disruption of various posterior ligaments were modeled at C4-C5, C5-C6 or C6-C7. In flexion, complete IVD rupture combined with posterior ligamentous complex rupture was the most severe injury leading to the most extreme von Mises stress (47 to 66 kPa), principal strains p1 (0.32 to 0.41 in white matter) and p3 (-0.78 to -0.96 in white matter) in the spinal cord and to the most important spinal cord compression (35 to 48 %). The main post-trauma SCI mechanism was identified as compression of the anterior white matter at the injured level combined with distraction of the posterior spinal cord during flexion. There was also a concentration of the maximum stresses in the gray matter after injury. Finally, in extension, the injuries tested had little impact on the spinal cord. The capsular ligament was the most important structure in protecting the spinal cord. Its status should be carefully examined during patient's management.
Background: Non-gunshot wound penetrating injury to the spinal canal have been known to have variable injury patterns with respect to trajectory and depth. Methods: We present a case of a penetrating glass fragment injury to the T11-12 level with a cerebrospinal fluid leak. Results: A T11-12 bilateral laminectomy and duraplasty with motor-evoked potential monitoring was performed to remove the foreign object and associated hematoma. The clinical presentation and surgical management are discussed with respect to other non-gunshot-related penetrating spine injuries in the literature. Conclusions: This case demonstrates a very rare injury pattern, as the vast majority of intradural penetrating injuries to the thoracic spine result in complete or incomplete spinal cord injury. This patient was neurologically intact, which is remarkable, given the 7cm glass fragment crossing the thoracic spinal canal transversely from the right to left.
Evaluation of patients with cervical spine injury and predicting the risk and severity of acute spinal cord injury after a minor trauma