Spinal Cord Injury Flashcards
Define pediatric SCI
An acute traumatic lesion of the spinal cord and nerve roots in children from newborn through the age of 15
What are the 3 most common causes of SCI in children?
- MVA (restraints and fulcrum affect)
- birth trauma
- child abuse
What is the correct positioning of a child (10 years old) in regards to restraints?
- lap belt needs to be on lap, not only belly
- the knees are able to bend without the child having to slouch
- shoulder belt should be comfortable and come across chest, not neck
What are the 2 landmarks to aim for when adjusting car restraints in an older child?
sternum and ASIS
What is the correct positioning of a baby in regards to restraints?
the horizontal bar should be under the clavicles and across the sternum, because if placed too low it could result in a T-spine injury
What are 3 atraumatic causes of SCI in children?
- myelopathies
- cancer
- stroke
What are the 2 types of myelopathies? Give a few examples of each
- Compressive: stenosis, Chiari malformation, protruding discs
- Inflammatory: acute transveres myelitis, Guillain-Barre’ Syndrome, multiple sclerosis
The average age of SCI is __ years, with 53% occurring between the ages of __ and __
43
16-30
Boys are ___ as likely as young girls to have a SCI
twice
A child’s spine does not fully mature until between the ages of _ and __.
8-10
Where do the majority of SCIs occur in children under the age of 10? Explain why…
The upper c-spine at the level of C3 or above
Due to ligamentous laxity, disproportionately large head size, and relative horizontal facet joints can create a fulcrum for a sagittal force and allow a large amount of translatory movement
A child 11 years or older tends to have a SCI where?
in the lower c-spine (C3 or lower)
Why are thoracolumbar injuries in young children unique in comparison to adults?
On account of anatomic differences, specifically the ring apophysis in the growing spine can slip or separate into the spinal canal from an axial traumatic force and mimic the symptoms of a herniated disc
Because the pediatric spinal column is relative lax due to ligamentous laxity what does it often allow for following a blow to the spine or head?
The vertebra to stretch and recoil, which in turn also causes the inflexible spinal cord to stretch as well causing distraction or ischemia to delicate neuropathways and cause an invisible SCI
This phenomenon is which there is a spinal cord injury with radiographic abnormality is called what?
SCIWORA