Background: Spinal cord syndromes are caused by trauma in most cases, but the non traumatic spinal syndromes are needed to be urgently diagnosed and treated.
The aim of the study: It was to assess the prevalence of non traumatic spinal syndromes among hospitalized children with diseases of the nervous system and diagnostic analysis, therapy and its course.
Material and methods: The group of 16 children age 0,5-18 years hospitalized in the years between 1996-2005 in the Department of Child Neurology in Krakow. The diagnosis was based on neurological assessment, imaging, cerebrospinal fluid examination and other data. Pharmacology, surgery and physiotherapy were performed as a treatment. The modified Rankin scale was used to assess the motor function after the spinal disorder.
Results: The non traumatic spinal syndromes were identified in 0.3% of hospitalized children. In 5 cases they were caused by infection etiology, in other 3 cases the congenital spinal cord malformations were diagnosed. Three children had spinal tumors, in a single case the haematoma, vertebral dislocation, the vertebral fracture with bulging of the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc, isolated bulging and MRI hiperintensive lesion of unknown etiology were seen. Two patients, which were most motor impaired past away, the intramedular tumor caused the middle motor dysfunction, the others spinal syndromes elicted minor disability.
Conclusion: The most common etiology of the non traumatic spinal syndromes, rare in hospitalized children, were inflammation, congenital spinal malformation and neoplastic tumors. Three fourths of the children had mild and other more severe handicaps due to non traumatic spinal syndromes.