Progression of spinal cord atrophy by traumatic or inflammatory myelopathy in the pediatric patients: case series.

STUDY

DESIGN

Case series.

OBJECTIVE

To present spinal cord atrophy in pediatric patients who had spinal cord injury developed after trauma or acute transverse myelitis, and had no motor recovery later.

SETTING

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tertiary National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

METHODS

Case series.

RESULTS

Two pediatric patients with paraplegia due to acute transverse myelitis and one pediatric patient with paraplegia due to traumatic myelopathy were included in this case series. Their initial MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) findings were spinal cord swelling and high signal intensity in T2-weighted image. After several months, they had no motor recovery and showed no change of neurological level, though they underwent steroid and physical therapy. A follow-up MRI revealed spinal cord atrophy.

CONCLUSION

If a pediatric patient with traumatic or inflammatory spinal cord injury does not show motor recovery after several months, spinal cord atrophy must be considered.