Long-segment myelitis after traumatic paraplegia in COVID-19 positive patient: An unusual case report

ABSTRACT

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has devastated the mankind globally, and countless lives have been lost all around the world. This disease has been linked to various extrapulmonary symptoms and consequences in addition to typical respiratory illness. This case highlights a probable neurological complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A 28-year-old healthy man, sustained wedge compression of D12 vertebra following road traffic accident, presented with paraplegia. One week following admission, the patient had a progressive neurological deterioration and developed high grade fever with weakness in both upper limbs. The patient developed quadriplegia 10 days after admission. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain and spine were done. MRI brain was normal, whereas MRI spine showed D11-D12 anterolisthesis with cord compression with T2 hyperintensity of cervical cord. His SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction turned out to be positive. We hereby report a case of posttraumatic long-segment myelitis with coronavirus disease 2019 as a probable etiology.