- Discussion:
- damage is primarily in the anterior 2/3 of cord, and is related to vascular
insufficiency (see
blood supply to the spinal cord);
- there is sparing the posterior columns (position sense, proprioception, and
vibratory sensation);
- CT scans may demonstrate bony frags compressing anterior spinal cord;
- Clinical Findings:
- syndrome is manifested by complete motor paralysis (corticospinal function) &
sensory anesthesia (spinothalamic function);
- there is sparing of the dorsal column:
- deep pressure and proprioception are only retained sesibility of the
trunk and lower extremities;
- patient demonstrates greater motor loss in the legs than arms;
- Prognosis:
- anterior cord syndrome has the worst prognosis of all cord syndromes;
- prognosis is good if recovery is evident & progressive during first 24 hours;
- after 24 hrs, if no signs of sacral sensibility to pinprick or temp are present,
prognosis for further functional recovery are poor;
- only 10 to 15% of patients demonstrate functional recovery;
