The syndrome of acute anterior lumbar spinal cord injury.

This is a presentation of 3 patients who manifested with the clinical syndrome of anterior spinal cord injury at the lumbar level. A combined injury of conus medullaris and cauda equina in this particular level of the cord between T12 to L2 spines makes clinical assessment difficult leading to a false diagnosis of "cauda equina injury". Careful studies of the ventral cord of the conus medullaris are needed to confirm a contusion, hematomyelia or compression. Basis for theoretical presence of lumbar anterior cord syndrome as well as clinical diagnosis are discussed.