1/95. The changes in human spinal sympathetic preganglionic neurons after spinal cord injury.We have applied conventional histochemical, immunocytochemical and morphometric techniques to study the changes within the human spinal sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPNs) after spinal cord injury. SPNs are localized within the intermediolateral nucleus (IML) of the lateral horn at the thoraco-lumbar level of the spinal cord and are the major contributors to central cardiovascular control. SPNs in different thoracic segments in the normal spinal cord were similar in soma size. SPNs in the IML were also identified using immunoreactivity to choline acetyltransferase. Soma area of SPNs was 400.7 15 microm2 and 409.9 /-22 microm2 at the upper thoracic (T3) and middle thoracic (T7) segments, respectively. In the spinal cord obtained from a person who survived for 2 weeks following a spinal cord injury at T5, we found a significant decrease in soma area of the SPNs in the segments below the site of injury: soma area of SPNs at T8 was 272.9 /-11 microm2. At T1 the soma area was 418 /-19 microm2. In the spinal cord obtained from a person who survived 23 years after cord injury at T3, the soma area of SPNs above (T1) and below (T7) the site of injury was similar (416.2 /-19 and 425.0 /-20 microm2 respectively). The findings demonstrate that the SPNs in spinal segments caudal to the level of the lesion undergo a significant decrease of their size 2 weeks after spinal cord injury resulting in complete transection of the spinal cord. The impaired cardiovascular control after spinal cord injury may be accounted for, in part, by the described changes of the SPNs. The SPNs in spinal segments caudal to the injury were of normal size in the case studied 23 years after the injury, suggesting that the atrophy observed at 2 weeks is transient. More studies are necessary to establish the precise time course of these morphological changes in the spinal preganglionic neurons.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/95. erectile dysfunction caused by sacral gun-shot injury.A 22-year-old man suffering from isolated erectile dysfunction associated with damage to the right spinal nerve S2 caused by sacral gun-shot injury. He has no loss of bladder innervation. Treatment has been implantation of a penile prosthesis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.047619047619048keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/95. Catecholamine-induced hypertension in lumbosacral paraplegia: five case reports.hypertension in the patient with SCI is relatively rare and generally restricted to patients with high-level injuries where autonomic dysreflexia can occur. Resting blood pressure in individuals with SCI has been described as lower than that in the normal population. This report describes five previously normotensive teenagers with subsequent paraplegia as a result of gunshot wounds who presented with hypertension secondary to idiopathic elevation of plasma or urinary catecholamine levels. A clonidine suppression test was used as a neuroprobe to inhibit centrally mediated sympathetic outflow, excluding the probability of an extra-axial autonomous catecholamine-secreting tumor as the possible source of hypertension. Positive suppression was achieved in four patients (41%, 37.2%, 4.8%, and 37.2% decreases). One patient had values corresponding to orthostatic changes (an increase of 63%) because of poor compliance with the test. This patient was lost to follow-up; in the remaining four, hypertension resolved at 12, 8, 9, and 6 weeks postinjury. The increased circulating catecholamine level appears to be promoted by a centrally mediated response to the SCI. Elevated blood pressure probably results from an upgraded receptor regulation or an increased receptor sensitivity on the affected cells in the absence of restraining spinal reflexes. The pathophysiology of such hypertension seems to be secondary to autonomic dysfunction and, although it may be transient, it should be treated promptly and reevaluated periodically until stabilization is achieved.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.047619047619048keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/95. Unstable cervical spine without spinal cord injury in penetrating neck trauma.Cervical spine instability in the neurologically intact patient following penetrating neck trauma has been considered rare or non-existent. We present a case of a woman with an unstable C5 fracture without spinal cord injury after a gunshot wound to the neck. Considerations regarding the risk of cervical spine instability are discussed, as well as suggestions for a prudent approach to such patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.23809523809524keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/95. Wandering intraspinal bullet.A case of gun shot injury to the spine, with the bullet entering the thecal sac via the right side of the lower chest and wandering freely in the subarachnoid space, is reported. The patient was neurologically intact initially and developed radicular symptoms with foot drop and urinary retention on the third day after injury. The radiological findings and the problems faced at surgery are discussed, and the relevant literature of this uncommon condition is reviewed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.19047619047619keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/95. Refractory spinal cord injury induced gastroparesis: resolution with erythromycin lactobionate, a case report.erythromycin lactobionate (ERY), a macrolide antibiotic, has been the focus of investigation as a new gastrointestinal prokinetic agent. In individuals who are able-bodied (AB), ERY has shown promise in various forms of gastroparesis (GP). Recent evidence suggests that medications used to stimulate intestinal motility in individuals who are AB have had similar results in those individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Medications that have been used in the past for GP in SCI include metaclopramide, neostigmine, and bethanechol. In this observation, a patient with T-6 paraplegia, who developed GP secondary to acute SCI, is presented. During his hospital stay, the patient was treated with gastric decompression, bowel rest, H2 blockers, intravenous metaclopramide, and eventually required parenteral nutritional support. ERY was started and symptoms abated. At this point, the nasogastric tube was removed and oral feeding was successfully started. This case report is the first to describe a patient with refractory SCI-induced GP who responded to intravenous ERY. Further study in this area is warranted.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.23809523809524keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/95. Cruciate paralysis, hypothesis for injury and recovery.STUDY DESIGN: Case report and review of the literature. OBJECTIVES: Discuss a case of cruciate paralysis, a review of the literature and the hypotheses regarding the pathogenesis and recovery in spinal cord injuries that cause disproportionate weakness of the upper extremities. SETTING: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, philadelphia, PA, USA. methods: Case report. RESULTS: A case of cruciate paralysis is presented involving a 59-year-old female who experienced a gunshot wound to the face. Initial motor exams revealed mild lower limb weakness and absent upper limb function with an upper limb modified American Spinal Injury association motor score of 0/50 (a modified impairment scale using half point muscle grades). Spinal imaging revealed fractures of the C1 anterior ring and the odontoid process, both associated with multiple bullet fragments. No spinal surgery was performed and she was placed in halo fixation. By 3 weeks she had regained enough upper limb function to manipulate large objects with her left hand and move her right hand. At that time, her upper limb asia score was 16/50. By 5 weeks, her upper limb modified asia motor score had improved to 31.5/50 and she began manipulating feeding utensils, writing legibly, and brushing her teeth with her left hand. CONCLUSIONS: In this case report we present a patient's motor and functional recovery. We also discuss the hypothesis that the acute central cord syndrome and cruciate paralysis are a likely result of similar pathologic mechanisms and that good functional outcome resulted from an initially disabling trauma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.095238095238095keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/95. Cranio-orbital missile wound and bullet migration. Case report.An unusual case of craniocerebral missile injury, with orbital roof perforation and spontaneous bullet migration into the maxillary sinus, is reported. emergency treatment consisted in wide craniectomy around the bullet entry point, blood and foreign bodies debridement. Subsequent procedures were necessary for abscess evacuation, transmaxillary bullet removal and later cranial vault reconstruction. Challenging aspects were the treatment of the infectious complications, following cerebrospinal fluid fistula through the wound, and the onset of post-traumatic epilepsy, scarcely responsive to common antiepileptic drugs. The treatment of the abscess by combined systemic and intracavitary antibiotic therapy and of the chronic seizures by progressive adjustment with new protocols of antiepileptic drugs under EEG and brain mapping revealed successful.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.047619047619048keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/95. Penetrating neck trauma: hidden injuries-oesophagospinal traumatic fistula.Injuries to the eosophagus are notoriously difficult to diagnose pre-operatively. patients with such injuries usually will not have pre-operative signs and symptoms to suggest the presence of this type of injury. These injuries require a high index of suspicion, appreciation of the presence of injuries to adjacent structures, and an understanding that the clinical and radiological findings may evolve over a period of time. We describe a child with a rare presentation of an acute traumatic esophageal spinal fistula due to a bullet wound. This complicated injury required a variety of diagnostic modalities, including contrast radiography, multiple computerised tomography (CT) scans and operative assessments to make the definitive diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.23809523809524keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/95. Tear in the trabecular meshwork caused by an airsoft gun.PURPOSE: To report a case of a tear in the trabecular meshwork caused by an airsoft gun, a toy that propels a plastic bullet. methods: Case report. RESULTS: A 7-year-old Japanese boy sustained an ocular injury to the right eye from an airsoft gun. Ophthalmic examination 1 hour after the injury showed a best-corrected visual acuity in the injured eye of hand motion, corneal abrasion and edema, hyphema, and commotio retinae. gonioscopy 6 days after the injury revealed a tear in the trabecular meshwork as well as an angle recession. Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) strongly suggested that the tear extended into Schlemm's canal. Corneal abrasion and edema, hyphema, and commotio retinae resolved over 10 days, and best-corrected visual acuity improved to 20/15. Two months after the injury, the trabecular meshwork had not healed. CONCLUSION: Airsoft guns can cause a full-thickness tear in the trabecular meshwork, which may contribute to development of late-onset glaucoma. UBM is useful to evaluate the tomographic features of the disrupted trabecular meshwork. The potential force of airsoft guns to cause substantial ocular injuries should be recognized. Wearing ocular protection should be mandatory while playing with airsoft guns.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.021989758859729keywords = canal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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