Brachial diplegia as a result of cervical cord injury.

OBJECTIVE

To report a case of brachial diplegia with normal lower limb power, after a cervical cord injury.

DESIGN

Case report of a 63-year-old man who sustained a neck trauma following a fall.

SETTING

Department of Neurology, University Hospitals of Leicester, Royal Infirmary, Leicester, UK.

CASE REPORT: The mechanism of the injury was probably one of hyperflexion resulting in central cervical cord contusion. Initial neurological examination revealed brachial diplegia, with posterior column sensory involvement of the lower limbs which had normal power. The patient was also in urinary retention but had no respiratory involvement. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spinal cord showed a hyperintense signal in the central mid-cervical cord.

CONCLUSION

Pure brachial diplegia represents a rare clinical presentation of cervical cord pathology, including trauma, of which clinicians should be aware.