a case report of spinal cord injury patient from a high velocity gunshot wound to the lumbar spine.

Can a high velocity gunshot cause spinal cord injury?

Here, we describe the first case of a Korean man with spinal cord injury caused by a high velocity gunshot wound. CASE REPORT A 40-year-old man became paraplegic after a gunshot wound to the lumbar spine. The injury occurred when he came under fire during a shooting rampage while he was abroad.

What is the prognosis of a gunshot wound to the spine?

More specifically, a patient with a gunshot wound to the spine is more likely to sustain a complete injury and have a poor prognosis. As such, there should be concerns regarding associated and extended injuries related to bullet fragmentation as well as the possibility of long-term sequelae.

Can a gunshot wound cause spinal cord injury in Korea?

In Korea, there was only one case report on a patient with spinal cord injury due to a low velocity gunshot wound to the thoracic spine [3]. Here, we describe the first case of a Korean man with spinal cord injury caused by a high velocity gunshot wound. CASE REPORT

How should physiatrists evaluate gunshot wound patients?

Therefore, careful evaluations of gunshot wound patients are required by physiatrists, especially in terms of gunshot velocity, lesion of injury and presence of remnant bullets or other accompanying injuries for proper goal setting for rehabilitation and management. Footnotes No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

What are 3 complications that a spinal cord injury patient of any level of injury are at risk for?

Frequent complications in the acute phase after SCI are arrhythmias, bradycardia, hypotension, pain and spasticity. Knowledge of possible complications during the acute phase is important because they may be life-threatening and/or may lead to prolonged rehabilitation.

What are the types of spinal cord injuries?

There are three types of complete spinal cord injuries:Tetraplegia.Paraplegia.Triplegia.

Can a bullet sever the spinal cord?

When a victim is shot in the area of the spinal cord, the penetration of the bullet can cause the spinal cord to be severed, sheared, torn, crushed, or otherwise damaged. This will result in a loss of function below the point of injury.

What is Brown Séquard syndrome?

Brown-Sequard syndrome (BSS) is a rare neurological condition characterized by a lesion in the spinal cord which results in weakness or paralysis (hemiparaplegia) on one side of the body and a loss of sensation (hemianesthesia) on the opposite side.

What is lumbar spine injury?

A lumbar strain is an injury to the lower back. This results in damaged tendons and muscles that can spasm and feel sore. The lumbar vertebra make up the section of the spine in your lower back.

What is the most common spinal cord injury?

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), the two most common types of spinal cord injuries are incomplete tetraplegia and paraplegia, with incomplete spinal cord injuries accounting for more than 65% of all SCIs.

When spinal cord is injured what happens?

Emergency signs and symptoms of a spinal cord injury after an accident include: Extreme back pain or pressure in your neck, head or back. Weakness, incoordination or paralysis in any part of your body. Numbness, tingling or loss of sensation in your hands, fingers, feet or toes.

How do spinal cord injuries happen?

Some of the most common causes of spinal cord injury include motor vehicle accidents, falls, gunshot wounds, sports injuries or surgical complications. Most cases can be divided into two types of spinal cord injury – complete spinal cord injury vs.

What is the best treatment for spinal cord injury?

Options include soft neck collars and various braces. Surgery. Often surgery is necessary to remove fragments of bones, foreign objects, herniated disks or fractured vertebrae that appear to be compressing the spine. Surgery might also be needed to stabilize the spine to prevent future pain or deformity.

What are the red flags of a spinal injury?

'Red Flags' : Spinal Pain The pain is in the upper part of the spine (thoracic spine). You have developed problems in the nervous system, for example numbness, loss of power, disturbed walking (gait) or bowel/ bladder disturbance. You have had cancer in the past or at present. The pain is constant and getting worse.

What is the most common cause of Brown-Séquard syndrome?

The most common causes of Brown-Séquard syndrome (BSS) are traumatic injuries affecting your spinal cord, including:Gunshot wounds.Stab wounds.Motor vehicle accidents.Blunt trauma.Spinal fractures from an accident such as a fall.

What are the clinical manifestations of Brown-Séquard syndrome and spinal shock?

Brown-Séquard syndrome is a neurologic syndrome resulting from hemisection of the spinal cord. It manifests with weakness or paralysis and proprioceptive deficits on the side of the body ipsilateral to the lesion and loss of pain and temperature sensation on the contralateral side.

Introduction

Brown-Séquard syndrome (BSS) is a rare form of incomplete paraplegia first described in 1849 by Charles-Edouard Brown-Séquard. 1 It is characterized by hemilateral spinal cord injury with ipsilateral motoric paresis and disturbed contralateral pain and temperature sensation.

Case history

A 35-year-old man sustained a thoracic gunshot injury from a machine gun. On arrival at the emergency room, the patient was intubated and the patient was hemodynamically unstable. The external sign of injury was a leftsided submamillar bullet entry wound ( Figure 1 ). No exit wound was seen.

Discussion

In the United States, gunshot wounds are the second most frequent cause of spinal cord injuries. In Central Europe on the other hand, gunshot wounds are a rare injury pattern.