Clinical assessment of the spinal cord - Ojemann Flashcards
Myelopathy:
Disorder resulting in spinal cord dysfunction.
Nerve root:
Nerve bundle exiting at a given vertebral level containing both motor and sensory rami
Tracts:
Bundles of nerves in the CNS
Dermatome:
Cutaneous area served by a given sensory root
Myotome:
Muscles innervated by a given motor root
Radiculopathy
Sensory or motor dysfunction due to an irritation of a nerve root
Paresthesia
An abnormal sensation, can include burning, pricking,
tickling, or tingling. Sometimes characterized as “pins and needles”
Dysthesia
Impairment of sensation; less than that of anesthesia
Hyperesthesia
Abnormal acuteness of sensitivity to touch, pain, or other
sensory stimuli
C4 vertebral body overlies the ____ spinal cord segment.
C4
Upper cervical: Vertebra # overlies same cord segment # (C2 vertebra overlies C2 spinal cord segment)
C7 vertebral body overlies the ____ spinal cord segment.
C8
Lower cervical: vertebra # overlies cord segment # + 1 (C6 bone, C7 cord)
T5 vertebral body overlies the ____ spinal cord segment.
T7
Upper thoracic: vertebra # overlies cord segment # + 2 (T4 bone, T6 cord)
T11 vertebral body overlies the ____ spinal cord segment.
L2
Lower thoracic/lumbar: vertebra # overlies cord segment # +2- 3 (T 11bone, L1-2 cord)
What vertebral body overlies the conus medullaris?
L1
C1-7 nerve roots exit ____ the corresponding vertebral secment. C8-S5 exit ___>
Above, below
Lesions, such as tumors, that evolve from OUTSIDE of the cord are called _____. They tend to cause early pain and UMN signs, and pain and temperature sensation is likely to evolve in an ascending fashion (affects sacral, then lumbar, then thoracic, cervical fibers progressively).
To what is this due?
Extramedullary lesions
Due to the somatotopy of the spinal cord.
Intramedullary lesions, those that arise within the cord, will tend to cause what symptoms, and in what progressin?
early bladder dysfunction, with only late development of pain. Loss of pain and temperature may progress in a descending fashion- invlovling cervical and thoracic levels early, then lumbar, then sacral.
Somatotopic organization to the tracts:
Within the Posterior Columns, ___ fibers are medial, fibers from the ____ are lateral.
Within the Corticospinal and Spinothalamic Tracts, __ fibers are medial and fibers from the ___ are lateral.
SACRAL; ARMS
ARMS; SACRUM
C5 dermatome
back of shoulder, lateral arm
C6 dermatome
thumb and index finger