Chronic Neurological Sequelae of Acute Trauma to the Spine and Spinal Cord

Part III The Syndrome of Chronic Injury to the Cervical Spinal Cord in the Region of the Central Canal

¹ Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School and Hospital, Ann Arbor
² Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, the Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit

Chronic neurological sequelae develop after a single acute or multiple chronic traumatic episodes to the cervical spine and spinal cord.

The syndrome of acute injury to the cervical spinal cord in the region of the central canal has been briefly discussed to present a foundation for the thesis of this paper.

The syndrome of chronic injury to the cervical spinal cord in the region of the central canal was demonstrated to be a definite entity. It is characterized by a history of previous trauma with the tardy onset of increasing weakness in both upper extremities, which is disproportionately greater than that seen in both lower extremities. There is usually an associated loss of pain and temperature sensations in the dermatomes involving the lower cervical and upper thoracic regions. The syndrome was illustrated by three case reports.

The reasons for using this designation rather than the term traumatic syringomyelia are discussed.

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