Medical brain notes 7

  Diseases of the Spinal Cord – Myelopathy Till now we have discussed about the diseases related to the brain. Now before going ahead with the diseases of.the nerves and the muscular system, we will discuss the diseases of the spinal cord in brief. The  spinal cord  is the relay station of the messages going in and out of the brain to and fro from the nerves and muscles. Encased safely within the veraebrae of the vertebral column the spinal cord is a very important organ of the nervous system. There are over 30 types of diseases that can occur in the spinal cord which can be understood in terms of the working and the structure of the spinal cord, its function of carrying the messages, its length, its cylindrical shape, its small width, its membranes, its blood vessels, its relation with the vertebrae etc.... Symptoms of the diseases of the spinal cord : ·             l Weakness or paralysis of the lower limbs. l Tingl...

  Symptoms of the diseases of the spinal cord : ·             l Weakness or paralysis of the lower limbs. l Tingling sensation in the entire leg. ·             L  Weakness in all the four limbs. ·             Retention of urine and\or stool or loss of bladder or bowel control. ·               Continuous pain in any part of the hands or legs. ·             The patient may remain unaware even if his footwear comes off (loss of sensation) or a feeling of cushioning of the feet, burning sensation, sensation of ants crawling over the legs or hands. ·             The wasting of the muscles of hands and legs, etc. The symptoms of spinal cord diseases are ...

  Syndromes (symptom complex) of spinal cord disorders :   i.                 All the sensation in the spinal cord being cut off below a certain level, with loss of movements of both legs, retention of stool and urine may occur e.g.  a vertebralfracture  in a road accident. ii.                 The working of certain sensory nerves gets disturbed and its motor functioning decreases along with pain in the nerve.  (Myelo-Radiculopathy)  like spondylosis. iii.                 The functioning of the half side of the spinal cord is affected.  (Brown Sequard) . This causes loss of movement of the leg on one side, while the sensation of the other leg gets hampered. iv.            ...

  Treatment : A complete diagnosis is very important for necessary treatment. If the disease is due to the compression of the spinal cord, it is important to decide if surgery is possible or not. Surgeries ranging from, long, complicated microsurgery; to the surgeries to dissolve tumors with the help of ultrasound (CUSA) are now available in our country. Surgery of the spinal cord is normally not dangerous, but it is undeniable that the operation has to be done very delicately, skillfully and systematically, because the spinal cord is very narrow and congested with innumerable nerve fibres. Thus, to prevent any damage, the surgeon has to be very cautious during surgery. The non-compressive disorders are treated according to the underlying cause like: ·             Treatment for TB. ·             Use of steroids for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating...