Prelum of a spinal cord

Description:

Normal the spinal cord is protected by backbone bones, but some diseases are followed by its prelum and break its normal functions.  At very strong prelum all nervous impulses going on a spinal cord are blocked, and at less strong only some signals are interrupted. If the prelum is revealed and treatment is begun before there was a destruction of nerve pathways, functions of a spinal cord usually are completely recovered.

Reasons of a prelum of a spinal cord:

The vertebra fracture, rupture of one or several intervertebral disks, hemorrhage, infectious defeat (abscess in the field of covers of a spinal cord) or growth of a tumor in a spinal cord or a backbone can be the cause of a prelum. The abnormal blood vessel (the arteriovenous shunt) is also capable to squeeze a spinal cord.

Symptoms of a prelum of a spinal cord:

Depending on what area of a spinal cord is damaged, function of these or those muscles suffers and there is a disturbance of sensitivity in these or those zones. Weakness or paralysis and reduction of sensitivity or its total loss, as a rule, develop lower than the level of damage.  The tumor or the center of an infection located directly in a spinal cord or near it can slowly squeeze a spinal cord, causing pain and morbidity in the site of a prelum, and also weakness and changes of sensitivity. As the prelum is aggravated, weakness and pain pass into paralysis and an anesthesia. It occurs, as a rule, within several days or weeks. However if blood supply of a spinal cord is interrupted, paralysis and an anesthesia can arise in several minutes. The most gradual prelum of a spinal cord usually is a consequence of changes in the bones caused by degenerative damage of a backbone or very slowly growing tumor. At the same time at the person insignificant pain (or it at all does not disturb) and sensitivity changes (for example, a pricking) is noted, and weakness progresses within many months.

Diagnosis:

As nervous cells and ways of momentum transfer are definitely grouped in a spinal cord, having estimated symptoms and having conducted objective examination, the doctor can tell what part of a spinal cord suffered. For example, damage of a chest part of a backbone causes weakness and numbness in legs (but not in hands) and leads to dysfunction of a bladder and intestines. In that place where the spinal cord is injured, the person quite often feels the discomfortable "pulling together" feeling.  The Computer Tomography (CT) or the magnetic and resonant tomography (MRT) usually allow to establish the place of a prelum of a spinal cord and to find its reason. The doctor can recommend also a miyelografiya. During this procedure around a spinal cord enter radiopaque substance into space, and then on a x-ray film define where filling with contrast is broken, that is define deformation of space. Miyelografiya is more difficult, than KT or MPT, and is slightly more inconvenient for the patient, but she removes all questions which remain after MPT and KT.  The listed researches can reveal a change, "flattening" or shift of bones of a backbone, a rupture of an intervertebral disk, a tumor
bone or spinal cord, accumulation of blood and abscess. Additional analyses are sometimes necessary. For example, if researches reveal a tumor, it is necessary to make a biopsy to define whether it is malignant.

Treatment of a prelum of a spinal cord:

Prelum of a spinal cord treat depending on its reason, but anyway try to eliminate immediately, otherwise the spinal cord can be irreversible is injured. Quite often operation is required though the prelum caused by some tumors manages to be weakened radiation therapy. For reduction of hypostasis around the spinal cord aggravating a prelum usually appoint corticosteroids, for example dexamethasone.  If the prelum of a spinal cord is connected with infectious process, it is necessary to begin reception of antibiotics immediately. The neurosurgeon drains the area of an inflammation (abscess) filled with pus, for example it can suck away pus the syringe.