What is a complete transection of the spinal cord?

Complete transection represents a small proportion of all spinal cord injuries (SCIs). Spinal cord transection is a complete interruption of white matter tracts, segmental gray matter, and associated nerve roots in the spinal cord at any point between the cervicomedullary junction and tip of the conus medullaris.

What is complete and incomplete spinal cord injury?

In complete spinal cord injuries, the spinal cord is fully severed and function below the injury site is eliminated. In comparison, incomplete SCIs occur when the spinal cord is compressed or injured, but the brain’s ability to send signals below the site of the injury is not completely removed.

What happens if the spinal cord is cut?

If the spinal cord is severed in the mid or lower back, the person is likely paraplegic. An injury higher in the back or the neck could cause paralysis in the arms or even difficulty breathing without assistance.

What is spinal cord injury PDF?

Spinal cord injury occurs when there is any damage to the spinal cord that blocks communication between the brain and the body. After a spinal cord injury, a person’s sensory, motor and reflex messages are affected and may not be able to get past the damage in the spinal cord.

What does a bilateral transection of the spinal cord mean?

Definition: damage to the spinal cord resulting in complete bilateral loss of communication between the nerve fibers above and below the lesion. Epidemiology: ∼ 33% of annual spinal cord injuries in the US. Etiology. Trauma (complete spinal cord transection)

What results from transection of the spinal cord at C2?

If the spinal cord becomes compressed at the C2 level, it can cause pain, tingling, numbness, and/or weakness in the arms or legs, loss of bowel and/or bladder control, and other problems. Severe cases of spinal cord injury at C2 can be fatal because breathing and other critical body functions may be impaired or stop.

What is complete paralysis?

Complete paralysis is when you can’t move or control your paralyzed muscles at all. You also may not be able to feel anything in those muscles. Partial or incomplete paralysis is when you still have some feeling in, and possibly control over, your paralyzed muscles. This is sometimes called paresis.

What is complete tetraplegia?

Tetraplegia (sometimes referred to as quadriplegia) is a term used to describe the inability to voluntarily move the upper and lower parts of the body. The areas of impaired mobility usually include the fingers, hands, arms, chest, legs, feet and toes and may or may not include the head, neck, and shoulders.

What does T7 and T8 control?

T3, T4, and T5 feed into the chest wall and aid in breathing. T6, T7, and T8 can feed into the chest and/or down into the abdomen. T9, T10, T11, and T12 can feed into the abdomen and/or lower in the back.

What is the Asia level for a complete injury of the spinal cord?

The extent of spinal cord injury (SCI) is defined by the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (modified from the Frankel classification), using the following categories: A = Complete: No sensory or motor function is preserved in sacral segments S4-S5.

What is a T12 complete spinal cord injury?

A T12 spinal cord injury affects lower body functions such as walking and bowel and bladder functions. Fortunately, individuals with T12 spinal cord injuries generally have normal, full functioning of their upper bodies, which allows a great deal of independence.

What is an L3 spinal cord injury?

What Are the Symptoms of an L3 Injury? This is the middle vertebra of the lumbar spine, and the first vertebra to not contain a section of the spinal cord. Common symptoms of an L3 lumbar spinal injury include weakness, numbness, and loss of flexibility in the legs, hips, and/or groin.

What is spinal cord transection (sci)?

Spinal cord transection is a devastating condition, leading to permanent disability. Spinal cord transection affects mostly active young individuals and is associated with substantial financial costs for acute treatment and lifetime supportive therapy. Complete transection represents a small proportion of all spinal cord injuries (SCIs).

What does incomplete trasection of spinal cord mean?

Incomplete trasection ofspinal cord Spinal cord is gravely injured but doesnt suffer from complete transection (i.e. few tracts are intact) Clinical stages Stage of spinal shock (same as complete transection ) Stage of reflex activity (differ remarkably) Stage of reflex failure (same as complete transection ) 17.

What happens to spinal cord reflexes after a transection?

In some cases, spinal cord reflexes above the level of the transection also may be depressed. When the period of spinal shock passes, hyperreflexia with spastic paralysis below the level of the injury supervenes. Transection of the spinal cord at high cervical levels results in tetraplegia.

What is the prognosis of blunt contusive spinal cord transection injuries?

Approximately 30–35% of blunt contusive spinal cord transection injuries in humans result in a complete functional loss of spinal cord integrity and is the clinical equivalent to complete transection. Similar clinical outcomes are associated with spinal hemorrhage, infarction, tumors, infections, multiple sclerosis, or idiopathic myelitis.