Triangular Osteosynthesis as a Treatment of Lumbopelvic Dissociation with Acute Cauda Equina Syndrome in an 11-Year-Old Patient.

This case offers a safe and effective method for treating lumbopelvic dissociation in a pediatric patient with cauda equina syndrome using a triangular osteosynthesis construct. After a high-speed accident, an 11-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital with bowel and bladder incontinence and bilateral lower extremity weakness. The orthopaedic trauma and spine teams elected for surgical treatment with a triangular osteosynthesis construct, a procedure usually reserved for adults. The surgery was uncomplicated, and the patient experienced complete resolution of her preoperative symptoms. She is doing well over 1-year postoperatively, with full neurologic recovery, maintained reduction, bony healing, and subsequent implant removal. To our knowledge, this is the youngest reported case of lumbopelvic dissociation treated in this manner and represents a viable treatment option.

Clinical Reasoning: A 68-Year-Old Man With Palmar Rash, Leg Pain, and Inability to Walk.

We report a 68-year-old man with palmar rash, leg pain, and inability to walk, whose neurologic examination localized to multiple roots, leading to the diagnosis of polyradiculopathy. Polyradiculopathy has both structural and nonstructural etiologies. Structural etiologies include spinal stenosis, tethered cord syndrome, tumors, and leptomeningeal metastasis. Nonstructural etiologies include inflammatory, infectious, metabolic, and other neoplastic processes. His palmar rash in conjunction with neurologic signs/symptoms raised the suspicion for an infectious etiology, and eventually, serology and lumbar puncture confirmed the final diagnosis. In this report, we will further discuss how we determined the localization of polyradiculopathy, its specific etiologies, management decisions, and a transient complication before he achieved a significant improvement at 6 months.

Cauda Equina Syndrome.

Cauda equina syndrome (CES) involves compression of some or all of the lumbar and sacral peripheral nerve roots. However, there is a lack of consensus in the literature regarding the exact diagnosis criteria in this patient population. Much of the pathophysiology has been studied regarding the onset of this condition; however, the long-term effects are not able to be accurately predicted at this time. Recent literature has associated timing to surgical decompression, severity of symptoms at time of onset, and involvement of bladder dysfunction as prognostic indicators of CES.

Cytomegalovirus lumbosacral polyradiculitis in patients with long-term use of an oral corticosteroid: a case report.

BACKGROUND: The long-term use of an oral corticosteroid suppresses immunity. Here, we describe a case involving a patient with weakness in the bilateral lower extremities due to cytomegalovirus (CMV) lumbosacral polyradiculitis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 64-year-old man visited a university hospital for symmetric motor weakness in both lower extremities (Medical Research Council grade: 2). Symptoms started 1 month before and gradually aggravated. The patient had been taking oral prednisolone for 10 years in order to control pain in multiple joints due to seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. He also had neuropathic pain on the entire right lower extremity and voiding difficulty. Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging revealed enhancement along the entire lumbosacral nerve roots. In the cerebrospinal fluid analysis (CSF), elevated white blood cell (WBC) count (19 cells/µL) and protein level (142.5 mg/dL) were observed. CMV detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was positive. We diagnosed the patient as having lumbosacral polyradiculitis due to CMV. Ganciclovir (250 mg twice daily) was administered intravenously. Two months after initiating Ganciclovir, in the CSF analysis, CM detection by PCR was negative, and no WBC was found. CONCLUSION: We reported a patient who had symmetric motor weakness in the bilateral lower extremities induced by CMV lumbosacral polyradiculitis. Its occurrence seems to be related to immunosuppresion due to the long-term use of an oral corticosteroid. When a patient who is taking an oral corticosteroid shows motor weakness in the bilateral lower extremities, CMV lumbosacral polyradiculitis is one of the possible disorders to be differentiated.

Cauda equina syndrome-a practical guide to definition and classification.

PURPOSE: International uniformity of definition and classification are crucial for diagnosis and management of cauda equina syndrome (CES). They are also useful for clinicians when discussing CES with patients and relatives, and for medicolegal purposes. METHODS: We reviewed published literature using PubMed on definition and classification of cauda equina syndrome since 2000 (21 years). Using the search terms 'cauda equina' and 'definition' or 'classification', we found and reviewed 212 papers. RESULTS: There were 17 different definitions of CES used in the literature. There were three well-defined methods of classification of CES. The two-stage system of incomplete CES (CESI) versus CES with retention (CESR) is the most commonly used classification, and has prognostic value although the details of this continue to be debated. CONCLUSION: We used the existing literature to propose a clear definition of CES. We also drew on peer-reviewed published literature that has helped to amplify and expand the CESI/CESR dichotomy, adding categories that are both less severe than CESI, and more severe than CESR, and we propose clear definitions in a table form to assist current and future discussion and management of CES.

'Scan-negative' cauda equina syndrome: what to do when there is no neurosurgical cause.

Suspected cauda equina syndrome is a common presentation in emergency departments, but most patients (≥70%) have no cauda equina compression on imaging. As neurologists become more involved with 'front door' neurology, referral rates of patients with these symptoms are increasing. A small proportion of patients without structural pathology have other neurological causes: we discuss the differential diagnosis and how to recognise these. New data on the clinical features of patients with 'scan-negative' cauda equina syndrome suggest that the symptoms are usually triggered by acute pain (with or without root impingement) causing changes in brain-bladder feedback in vulnerable individuals, exacerbated by medication and anxiety, and commonly presenting with features of functional neurological disorder.

Cauda Equina Syndrome: Poor Recovery Prognosis Despite Early Treatment.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective patient's database operated on a cauda equina syndrome (CES). OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to identify prognosis factors for favorable functional recovery after CES. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: CES is a neurologic impairment of variable symptoms associating urinary, bowel, and sexual dysfunctions with or without motor or sensitive deficits caused by nerve root compression of the cauda equina. The definition of CES remains debated, as well as the prognosis factors for favorable functional recovery and the benefit of early surgery. METHODS: One hundred forty patients were included between January 2010 and 2019. Univariate and multivariate cox proportional hazard regression models were conducted. RESULTS: The patients were young with a median age of 46.8 years (range 18-86 yrs). At presentation, 60% were affected by a motor deficit, 42.8% a sensitive deficit, 70% urinary dysfunctions, and 44% bowel dysfunctions. The mean follow-up was 15.5 months. Bilateral motor deficit (P = 0.017) and an initial deficit severity of 0 to 2 (P = 0.001) represented prognosis factors of poor motor recovery. Initial anal incontinence (P = 0.007) was associated with poor bowel recovery. Only 32.8% of the patients went back to work. Initial motor deficit (P = 0.015), motor sequelae (P = 0.001), sphincter dysfunctions sequelae (P = 0.02), and long LOS (P = 0.02) were poor return-to-work prognosis factors. Time to surgery within an early timing < 24 or 48 hours or later did not represent a prognosis factor of recovery in CES. Incomplete versus complete CES did not show better recovery. CONCLUSION: CES remains a profound disabling syndrome with poor functional prognosis: in the long run, few patients go back to work. The main prognosis factors established in our series regarded the initial severity of deficits whether motor or sphincteral. Early or later surgical cauda equina decompression did not show to represent a prognosis factor for functional recovery.Level of Evidence: 4.

Disorders of the Cauda Equina.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Cauda equina dysfunction (often referred to as cauda equina syndrome) is caused by a diverse group of disorders that affect the lumbosacral nerve roots. It is important to recognize dysfunction of the cauda equina quickly to minimize diagnostic delay and lasting neurologic symptoms. This article describes cauda equina anatomy and the clinical features, differential diagnosis, and management of cauda equina disorders. RECENT FINDINGS: The diagnosis of disorders of the cauda equina continues to be a challenge. If a compressive etiology is seen, urgent neurosurgical intervention is recommended. However, many people with clinical features of cauda equina dysfunction will have negative diagnostic studies. If the MRI is negative, it is important to understand the diagnostic evaluation and differential diagnosis so that less common etiologies are not missed. SUMMARY: Cauda equina dysfunction most often occurs due to lumbosacral disk herniation. Nondiskogenic causes include vascular, infectious, inflammatory, traumatic, and neoplastic etiologies. Urgent evaluation and surgical intervention are recommended in most cases of compressive cauda equina syndrome. Other types of treatment may also be indicated depending on the etiology.

Acute Aortic Thrombus Presenting as Cauda Equina Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Occlusive abdominal aortic thrombus is a rare but critical clinical emergency with life-threatening consequences. Clinical presentation may mimic other diagnoses, resulting in a delay in the appropriate investigations for this condition. Spinal arterial involvement is a recognized complication of aortic thrombus and can result in pain, lower limb weakness, and loss of continence. These symptoms are usually associated with local spinal compression or stenosis manifesting as cauda equina syndrome (CES): a clinical finding of disrupted motor and sensory function to the lower extremities and bladder. CASE REPORT: We present a case of a 60-year-old female patient presenting with back pain, leg weakness, paresthesia, and urinary incontinence. She was urgently investigated for cauda equina syndrome via a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the spine, which subsequently demonstrated a large occlusive abdominal aortic thrombus. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Nontraumatic acute thrombosis of the aorta is a life-threatening condition that may present with apparent neurological symptoms. In this patient there was both a relevant history and evolving clinical signs pointing toward a vascular etiology; however, the clinical findings were confusing and CES evaluation was prioritized. CES remains a medical emergency requiring urgent investigation and management. However, knowledge of spinal anatomy including vascular supply may help widen the differential. Physicians and associate specialists should consider this at clinical assessment and also when interpreting imaging of the spine. Any delay in diagnosing an aortic thrombosis has the potential for catastrophic clinical consequences.

What is the diagnostic accuracy of red flags related to cauda equina syndrome (CES), when compared to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)? A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To review and statistically pool available evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of red flags to clinically identify MRI confirmed Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES). STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. DATA SOURCES: Embase, Scopus, Ovid Medline, Ovid Healthstar, Amed and CINAHL from inception to January 30, 2018 and a grey literature search. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Primary diagnostic studies, published in English; comparing red flags for CES; to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as reference standard; in humans; older than 18 years. METHODS: Data extraction, assessment of study quality using a modified QUADAS-2 tool and the use of GRADE to synthesize the results for each test was performed by three independent assessors. Diagnostic accuracy statistics applied to the identified data andpooled analysis performed using Meta-DiSc, version 1.4. Moderator analyses planned for pooled results. RESULTS: Seven studies (total N = 569 participants) were included. Potential signs or symptoms of CES were compared to MRI findings. Diagnostic data could be pooled for reduced anal tone, leg pain, back pain, saddle anaesthesia, urinary retention, urinary incontinence and bowel incontinence from six of seven studies. The pooled sensitivity for the signs and symptoms ranged from 0.19 (95% CI 0.09 to 0.33) to 0.43 (95% CI 0.30 to 0.56) while the pooled specificity ranged from 0.62 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.73) to 0.88 (95% CI 0.85 to 0.92). CONCLUSION: Red flags used to identify potential CES appear to be more specific than sensitive. As such, when these are present, they should be considered justification for prompt diagnostic workup.

Acute polyradiculopathy secondary to idelalisib in Relapsed Classical Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma are likely incurable with standard treatment. Idelalisib, a delta-isoform specific Phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor has shown its efficacy in other hematopoietic B malignancies. We report the case of a 51-years old patient with relapsed and refractory Hodgkin's Lymphoma receiving idelalisib after several regimens of chemotherapy. He achieved a good partial response for several months, unfortunately, idelalisib had to be stopped because of the onset of a severe polyradiculoneuritis attributed to this treatment. We assume here that the polyradiculoneuritis could be caused by T cell mediated autoimmunity to myelin proteins. To our knowledge, this adverse event has never been described so far with idelalisib.

Primary Epstein-Barr virus infection in immunocompetent patients with acute transverse myelitis and a combination of polyradiculitis and anterior horn syndrome as neurological manifestations.

Neurological manifestations of a primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection are rare. We describe a case with acute transverse myelitis and another case with a combination of polyradiculitis and anterior horn syndrome as manifestations of a primary EBV infection.The first case is a 50-year-old immunocompetent male diagnosed with acute transverse myelitis, 2 weeks after he was clinically diagnosed with infectious mononucleosis. The second case is an 18-year-old immunocompetent male diagnosed with a combination of polyradiculitis and anterior horn syndrome while he had infectious mononucleosis. The first patient was treated with methylprednisolone. After 1 year, he was able to stop performing clean intermittent self-catheterisation. The second patient completely recovered within 6 weeks without treatment.Primary EBV infection should be considered in immunocompetent patients presenting with acute transverse myelitis and a combination of polyradiculitis and anterior horn syndrome. Antiviral treatment and steroids are controversial, and the prognosis of neurological sequelae is largely unknown.

Síndrome de cauda equina secundario a neurolinfomatosis: presentación de un caso y revisión de la literatura / Cauda equina syndrome secondary to neurolymphomatosis: Case report and literature review

La neurolinfomatosis es una entidad rara caracterizada por la presencia de linfocitos neoplásicos que infiltran las estructuras del sistema nervioso periférico. Dada su naturaleza y localización puede desarrollar una gran variedad de síntomas, suponiendo un reto diagnóstico. El tratamiento se basa en el uso de metotrexato, aunque, a día de hoy, existen diversos esquemas de quimioterapia para los pacientes con enfermedad sistémica. Presentamos el caso de un varón con neurolinfomatosis a nivel de la cauda equina y agrupamos los casos descritos hasta el momento

Neurolymphomatosis is a rare disorder characterised by infiltration of neoplastic lymphocytes into the peripheral nervous system. A wide variety of symptoms can manifest depending on its nature and location, making its diagnosis a real challenge. Treatment is based on methotrexate, although various chemotherapy regimens are currently available for patients with systemic disease. We present the case of a male patient with neurolymphomatosis of the cauda equina, together with a review of all cases published to date

Time to implement a national referral pathway for suspected cauda equina syndrome: review and outcome of 250 referrals.

INTRODUCTION: Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a condition with significant implications and medico-legal profile. The literature still lacks large primary studies to provide strong evidence for a robust management pathway. Statements from Neurosurgical and Spinal societies support early diagnosis and imaging but this has not resulted in any noticeable shift in referral pattern. We strongly feel the need for a nationally agreed, evidence-based referral pathway in practice. We present our large series and in-depth analysis of the referral pathway to provide strong evidence for more robust referrals and management. METHODS: We reviewed 250 referrals of suspected CES (sCES) to the regional neurosurgical unit, evaluating the importance of clinical findings and the imaging pathway. RESULTS: After clinico-radiological evaluation only 32 (13%) had confirmed CES requiring urgent surgery. There was no significant difference in terms of clinical presentation between these true cases of CES (tCES) and false cases (fCES). Imaging was therefore the key rate-limiting step. MRI was the most common investigation used. 73 patients presented without imaging out of hours (OOH). In this group, investigation was delayed to the next day in 60/73 (82%) patients while only 13 (18%) patients underwent OOH MRI. Only 2 (3%) were able to have this at their local hospital. CONCLUSIONS:  As with previous studies we conclude that signs/symptoms are insufficient to identify tCES. Taking into consideration the improved outcome with early diagnosis, the importance of early scanning in diagnosing tCES, and the poor availability of OOH MRI scanning outside of neurosurgical units, we recommend a national policy of 24/7 MRI availability for cases of sCES at all hospitals with MRI scanners. This would remove the 87% of patients not requiring urgent surgery from an unnecessary and distracting referral process.

Disorders of the Cauda Equina.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Conditions that affect the cauda equina are a diverse group of disorders that require timely recognition and management. This article reviews cauda equina anatomy, the diagnostic approach to disorders of the cauda equina, features of cauda equina syndrome, and diskogenic and nondiskogenic disorders of the cauda equina. RECENT FINDINGS: Establishing clinical criteria for cauda equina syndrome has been a focus of a number of reviews, although the clinician must maintain a low threshold for emergent imaging in cases of suspected cauda equina syndrome because of the suboptimal reliability of various signs and symptoms in identifying this condition clinically. The timing of surgical intervention for compressive causes of cauda equina dysfunction remains a point of contention, although urgent decompression remains standard practice. A recent review that focused on outcomes in patients with cauda equina compression who underwent surgical decompression identified significant residual deficits in patients despite appropriate and timely intervention. Autoimmune conditions targeting the cauda equina have been increasingly recognized, including chronic immune sensory polyradiculopathy and chronic immune sensorimotor polyradiculopathy. SUMMARY: Disorders that affect the cauda equina require thoughtful and timely clinical examination and diagnostic testing to establish a definitive cause and an appropriate treatment approach.

Quantifying the clinical aspects of the cauda equina syndrome - The Cauda Scale (TCS).

AIM: To quantify the clinical findings in patients with potential cauda equina syndrome (CES). METHODS: Three domains were selected: bladder function (B), perianal sensation (S) and anal tone/squeeze (T). A quantified score was given to symptoms and signs in each domain. RESULTS: The lowest score in each domain and the lowest sum score (the most severe lesion) is 0. The best sum score is 9 (the normal patient). CONCLUSION: TCS can improve the clinical assessment and management of patients with possible CES and improve communication between the doctors who are called upon to assess and treat such patients.

Neurological recovery after traumatic Cauda Equina syndrome due to glass fragments: An unusual case.

Penetrating spinal injuries with foreign bodies are exceedingly rare. To date, pathological problems due to glass fragments in the spinal canal have rarely been reported. In this report, the case presenting with a back laceration, leg pain, and leg weakness was found to have glass frag-ments in the spinal canal at the L2-L3 level by lumbar computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. After L2 total laminectomy and retrieval of the glass fragments, the dura was re-paired. The patient was discharged from the hospital after complete neurological recovery. In cases of spinal canal injuries due to foreign bodies, early operative decompression of the neural elements is the treatment of choice. Patients with Cauda Equina syndrome due to glass fragments have a good prognosis for functional recovery.