A 14 Spinal Cord Syndromes Flashcards
what is Syringomyelia? what are some signs?
Its a longitudinal cavity that forms in the cervical and thoracic spinal cord that destroys the ventral white commissure.
1) “Cape like” sensory loss of pain and temperature
2) Can damage upper limb lateral corticospinal tract
what is the function of the DCML tract?
proprioception
vibration sense
2 point discernment
If there were to be an anterior spinal artery blockage at the level of C5, what would you expect to see? Why?
1) you would see complete bilateral paralysis below the level of the lesion, complete loss of pain and temperature below the lesion, but sparing of 2 point discrimination, vibration, and proprioception.
2) This occurs because the dorsal area of the spinal cord (DCML) is supplies by the bilateral posterior spinal arteries.
If you had an infarct of the anterior spinal artery at the level of C1, what would be the major difference from that of lower infarcts?
An anterior spinal artery infarct at such a high area can take out the spinal accessory nerve and its functions along with damaging the phrenic nucleus which assists in breathing.
What does a positive romberg sign mean?
loss of function in the DCML system.
What are some ways (lesions) that cause a positive romberg sign?
Lesion of the dorsal column (fasciculus gracilis or cuneatus), or infarct of the posterior spinal arteries.
How does syphilis affect spinal cord function?
It causes cell death in the DRG and demyelination in the dorsal columns causing a disease called TABES DORSALIS.
What causes saddle anesthesia?
Cauda equina syndrome which is stenosis affecting the ventral and dorsal roots.
What are some common signs of Cauda equina syndrome?
1) loss of knee and ankle reflexes
2) urinary retention (because it’s below T12)
3) loss of tone in external anal sphincter
What are some signs of conus medularis syndrome?
1) bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction
2) UMN lesion signs
3) sensory loss confined to s4 and s5
What is the disease called when you have a lesion of the sympathetic nervous system above the T1 level?
Horners syndrome.
Lesions in the parasympathetics between the levels of s2-s4 result in what?
bowel and bladder problems.
Corticospinal tract lesions show?
Upper motor neuron signs
Ventral horn lesions show?
Lower motor neuron signs.
How do spinal cord lesions around the central canal usually present?
Bilateral segmental pain and temperature loss.
