Scientific article
Review
English

Acute traumatic central cord syndrome: a comprehensive review

Published inNeuro-chirurgie, vol. 60, no. 1-2, p. 5-11
Publication date2014
Abstract

Acute traumatic central cord syndrome (ATCCS) is the most common type of incomplete spinal cord injury, characterized by predominant upper extremity weakness, and less severe sensory and bladder dysfunction. ATCCS is thought to result from post-traumatic centro-medullary hemorrhage and edema, or, as more recently proposed, from a Wallerian degeneration, as a consequence of spinal cord pinching in a narrowed canal. Magnetic Resonance Imaging is the method of choice for diagnosis, showing a typical intramedullary hypersignal on T2 sequences. Non-surgical treatment relies on external cervical immobilization, maintenance of a sufficient systolic blood pressure, and early rehabilitation, and should be reserved for patients suffering from mild ATCCS. Surgical management of ATCCS consists of posterior, anterior or combined approaches, in order to achieve spinal cord decompression, with or without stabilization. The benefits of early surgical decompression in the setting of ATCCS remain controversial due to the lack of clinical randomized trials; recent studies suggest that early surgery (less than 72hours after trauma) appears to be safe and effective, especially for patients with evidence of focal anatomical cord compression.

Keywords
  • Acute Disease
  • Animals
  • Central Cord Syndrome/diagnosis/surgery
  • Decompression, Surgical/methods
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Humans
  • Spinal Cord/surgery
  • Spinal Cord Compression/surgery
Citation (ISO format)
MOLLIQAJ, Granit et al. Acute traumatic central cord syndrome: a comprehensive review. In: Neuro-chirurgie, 2014, vol. 60, n° 1-2, p. 5–11. doi: 10.1016/j.neuchi.2013.12.002
Main files (1)
Article (Published version)
accessLevelRestricted
Identifiers
Journal ISSN0028-3770
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