CENTRAL CORD SYNDROME

Course overview

THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 300,000 INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH SPINAL CORD INJURY (SCI) IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH APPROXIMATELY 18,000 NEW CASES ANNUALLY.[1] CENTRAL CORD SYNDROME, FIRST DESCRIBED IN 1954, IS THE MOST COMMON FORM OF INCOMPLETE SPINAL CORD INJURY (SCI) AND HAS AN ANNUAL INCIDENCE OF APPROXIMATELY 11,000 CASES IN THE UNITED STATES. IT LEADS TO MOTOR DEFICITS THAT ARE MORE PRONOUNCED IN THE UPPER EXTREMITIES COMPARED TO THE LOWER EXTREMITIES, AS WELL AS BLADDER DYSFUNCTION (RETENTION) WITH SACRAL SPARING. BECAUSE OF ITS UNIQUE CLINICAL PRESENTATION, CENTRAL CORD SYNDROME IS ALSO DESCRIBED IN THE DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF "MAN IN A BARREL" SYNDROME. THE DEGREE OF CLINICAL PRESENTATION IS QUITE VARIABLE AND CORRESPONDS TO THE EXTENT OF THE INJURY TO THE NERVE ROOT. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ETIOLOGY, PRESENTATION, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF CENTRAL CORD SYNDROME AND DISCUSSES THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING, DIAGNOSING, AND MANAGING THE CONDITION.