TRANSVERSE MYELITIS

Course overview

TRANSVERSE MYELITIS (TM) IS A RARE, ACQUIRED FOCAL INFLAMMATORY DISORDER OFTEN PRESENTING WITH RAPID ONSET WEAKNESS, SENSORY DEFICITS, AND BOWEL/BLADDER DYSFUNCTION. GENERALLY OCCURRING INDEPENDENTLY, OFTEN AS A COMPLICATION OF INFECTION; HOWEVER, IT MAY ALSO EXIST AS PART OF A CONTINUUM OF OTHER NEURO-INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS. SOME OF THE INCLUDED CONTINUA ARE ACUTE DISSEMINATED ENCEPHALOMYELITIS, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, NEUROMYELITIS OPTICA SPECTRUM DISORDER, AND ACUTE FLACCID MYELITIS. TM GENERALLY OCCURS AROUND THE SPINAL CORD AT ANY LEVEL, BUT MOST COMMONLY AFFECTS THE THORACIC REGION. THE DISORDER TRANSVERSES THE SPINAL CORD CAUSING BILATERAL DEFICIENCIES. HOWEVER, THERE MAY ONLY BE PARTIAL INVOLVEMENT. THE DURATION OF THIS DISEASE MAY BE AS LITTLE AS 3 TO 6 MONTHS OR MAY BECOME PERMANENTLY DEBILITATING. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF TRANSVERSE MYELITIS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN IMPROVING CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.