Disease of Spinal Cord Flashcards
what is a myelopathy ?
upper motor neuron disorder
what is radicuopathy?
lower motor neurone disorder
where abouts is the corticospinal tract in the spinal cord?
lateral column
what is myelitis ?
inflammation of the upper motor neurones
what is radiculopathy ?
disease of the spinal roots
what is Myeloradiculopathy ?
when the upper motor neurones and the spinal roots are diseases ?
what are the two main categories of myelopathy and radiculopathy?
- medical (intrinsic)
2. surgical (extrinsic)
give some examples of medical causes of myelopathy and radiculopathy
- Inflammation
- Infarction
- Infiltration
- Infection
- Degenerative
give some examples of surgical causes of myelopathy and radiculopathy
- tumour
- vascular abnormalities
- degenerative
- trauma
state some causes of vascular abnormalities which can cause spinal cord and spinal root disorders?
haemorrhage
dural fistula
AVM (arteriovenous malformation)
what are some upper motor neurone disease signs ?
- no wasting
- increased tone
- increased reflexes
- Pyramidal pattern of weakness
what is Pyramidal pattern of weakness?
A pattern of weakness in the extensors (upper limbs) or flexors (lower limbs)
what are some lower motor neurone disease signs?
- decreased tone
- decreased reflexes
- muscle weakness
what is the pattern of the sensory loss due to radicuopathy?
dermatomal pattern
what is brown-Sequard Syndrome?
ipsilateral upper motor neuron paralysis and loss of proprioception, as well as contralateral loss of pain and temperature sensation
state some causes of myelopathy ?
- demyelination
- ischaemia
- transverse myelitis
- neurodegenerative
- B12 deficiency
- infective
- inflammatory
are spinal tracts laminated ?
yes
what does it mean that spinal tracts are laminated?
that the spinal tracts are in different layers of the different spinal root groups
- cervical
- thoracic
- lumbar
- sacral
what fibres travel up the spinothalamic tract ?
nociception
temperature
what fibres travel up the dorsal columns ?
proprioception and vibrations
What would occur to the - C5 innervated muscles - tone - reflexes - power - sensation if there was a C5 cord lesion?
C5 innervated muscles = wasted
tone = increased in lower limbs
reflexes = decreased in biceps, increased in lower limbs
power = decreased in C5 muscles, pyramidal pattern below
sensation = below C5
is the anterior or posterior part of the spinal cord more affected by strokes?
anterior
how many arteries supply the anterior 2/3rds of the spinal cord?
one artery
- the anterior spinal artery
how many arteries supply the posterior 1/3rd of the spinal cord?
2 arteries
- posterior spinal arteries