Pediatric acute hyperextension spinal cord injury (SCI) named as PAHSCI by us, is a special type of thoracolumbar SCI without radiographic abnormality and highly related to back-bend in dance training, which has been increasingly reported. At present, it has become the leading cause of SCI in children, and brings a heavy social and economic burden. Both domestic and foreign academic institutions and dance education organizations lack a correct understanding of PAHSCI and relevant standards, specifications or guidelines. In order to provide standardized guidance, the expert team formulated this guideline based on the principles of science and practicability, starting from the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, etiology, admission evaluation, treatment, complications and prevention. This guideline puts forward 23 recommendations for 14 related issues.
Child ; Humans ; Spinal Cord Injuries/complications* ; Spinal Cord

Subacute posttraumatic ascending myelopathy is a rare disorder, unrelated to syrinx formation or mechanical instability, which may gradually emerge within the first 1-2 weeks after a spinal cord injury and may lead to diagnostic and prognostic dilemmas. We present a case of 24-year-old female with unstable wedge compression fracture of L1 vertebrae with signal changes in the upper lumbar cord causing complete paraplegia below D9 with bladder and bowel involvement. In the subsequent week, she developed a delayed progressively increasing neurological deficit with cord signal abnormality on MRI extending cephalad from the injury site to the upper dorsal cord. The patient had no initial clinical improvement initially but showed a delayed recovery over months.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; etiology ; therapy ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; complications ; Spinal Fractures ; complications

Autophagy ; Cervical Cord ; injuries ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; complications ; diagnosis ; pathology

China ; Disaster Medicine ; methods ; Earthquakes ; Humans ; Rescue Work ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; complications ; therapy ; Spinal Injuries ; complications ; therapy

In addition to restoration of bladder, bowel, and motor functions, alleviating the accompanying debilitating pain is equally important for improving the quality of life of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Currently, however, the treatment of chronic pain after SCI remains a largely unmet need. Electrical spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been used to manage a variety of chronic pain conditions that are refractory to pharmacotherapy. Yet, its efficacy, benefit profiles, and mechanisms of action in SCI pain remain elusive, due to limited research, methodological weaknesses in previous clinical studies, and a lack of mechanistic exploration of SCS for SCI pain control. We aim to review recent studies and outline the therapeutic potential of different SCS paradigms for traumatic SCI pain. We begin with an overview of its manifestations, classification, potential underlying etiology, and current challenges for its treatment. The clinical evidence for using SCS in SCI pain is then reviewed. Finally, future perspectives of pre-clinical research and clinical study of SCS for SCI pain treatment are discussed.
Animals ; Chronic Pain ; Humans ; Pain ; etiology ; Pain Management ; methods ; Quality of Life ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; complications ; Spinal Cord Stimulation ; Treatment Outcome

Adult ; Autonomic Dysreflexia ; therapy ; Cesarean Section ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications ; therapy ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; complications

The authors report a rare case of air gunshot wound to the thoracic spinal cord in Korea. A case of 17 year-old girl with a air-gunshot wound to the thoracic spine was presented with paraplegia. Radiologic studies revealed a bullet in the fifth thoracic spinal canal. The cerebrospinal fluid leaked through the entry point of the bullet was noted. After laminectomy and dural opening, a intramedullary hematoma with lodged bullet in the contused cord was found. They are removed successfully with any postoperative complications. The bullet was composed of lead. We report this case focusing on the pathophysiology and surgical treatment with review of literatures.
Adolescent ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Female ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Korea ; Laminectomy ; Paraplegia ; Postoperative Complications ; Spinal Canal ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Spine* ; Wounds and Injuries* ; Wounds, Gunshot

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of cervical vertebrae degeneration on traumatic cervical cord injury.

METHODSFrom January 2009 to December 2010, 24 patients with cervical cord injury without obvious fractures and dislocations were treated with operation, and their data were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 16 males and 8 females, aged from 46 to 70 years old with an average of 59.1 years. Patients were divided into light degeneration group (6 cases), moderate degeneration group (10 cases) and severe degeneration group (8 cases), according to the preoperative degenerative degree of cervical vertebrae. Preoperative neurological dysfunction and postoperative neurological recovery were compared according to the JOA scores of Japanese Orthopaedic Society; quality of life were evaluated according to SF-36 scale (36-item Short Form Health Survey, SF-36).

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 4 to 16 months with an average of 12 months. The JOA score of light, moderate, severe degeneration group were 12.1 +/- 1.5, 10.3 +/- 1.8, 7.3 +/- 1.0, respectively; and were respectively increased to 16.3 +/- 1.0, 15.3 +/- 1.4, 13.0 +/- 2.3 at the 3 months after operation. Postoperative JOA score showed the improvement rate of mid-long-term neurological level was light degeneration group (89.8%) > moderate degeneration group (76.6%) > severe degeneration group (58.8%). The results of preoperative SF-36 scale showed light degeneration group > moderate degeneration group > severe degeneration group; there was significant difference in comparison of two groups (P < 0.05 ).

CONCLUSIONCervical degeneration is an important pathologic basis and risk factor in traumatic cervical cord injury, and the degenerative degree will directly influence the injury degree and prognosis of neurological function, the clinical relationship between them should be sufficiently paid attention to.

Aged ; Cervical Vertebrae ; injuries ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; surgery ; Spinal Diseases ; complications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of wheelchair ergometer training on spinal cord-injured paraplegics. Eleven male paraplegics with a mean age of 30.9 years (range, 20 to 49 years) participated in the wheelchair ergometer training for the period of 5 weeks. The mean peak heart rate, the mean peak systolic blood pressure and the mean time required for 100m wheelchair propelling at resistance level 1 were significantly decreased at the end of 5 weeks of training as compared with those at pre-training. There was no statistically significant difference in pulmonary function test at pre- and post-training. The peak torque of shoulder flexor and the total work of shoulder flexor and extensor at 180 degrees/sec after training were increased more significantly than those prior to the training. In accordance with the findings as revealed above, it is deemed that the endurance and strength of the upper body and the cardiac fitness for spinal cord-injured paraplegics may be improved by the wheelchair ergometer exercise
Adult ; *Exercise Therapy ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Paraplegia/etiology/*rehabilitation ; Spinal Cord Injuries/complications/*rehabilitation ; *Wheelchairs

Spinal cord injury (SCI) commonly affects males in their reproductive years. After spinal cord injury, most men experience fertility related problems including erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction, impaired spermatogenesis, abnormal sperm viability, motility, and morphology, genitourinary infection and endocrine abnormalities. In this article we will review the pathophysiology, evaluation and management of infertility in spinal cord injury. The impact of spinal cord injury on seminal plasma and the contribution of seminal oxidative stress to the poor sperm quality of men with spinal cord injury will be presented. Success with sperm retrieval techniques and assisted reproductive technology in SCI men with spinal cord injury will be discussed.
Ejaculation ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; etiology ; Male ; Reproductive Techniques ; Semen ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; complications ; physiopathology ; Testis ; physiopathology