Spinal cord compression develops when the spinal cord is compressed by a tumor, abscess or other lesion. It is regarded as a medical emergency independent of its cause, and requires swift diagnosis and treatment to prevent long-term disability due to irreversible spinal cord injury. Cross-section through cervical spinal cord. ... Tumor (American English) or tumour (British English) originally means swelling, and is sometimes still used with that meaning. ... Abscess An abscess is a collection of pus collected in a cavity formed by the tissue on the basis of an infectious process (usually caused by bacteria or parasites) or other foreign materials (e. ... A medical emergency is an injury or illness that poses an immediate threat to a persons health or life which requires help from a doctor or hospital. ... Diagnosis (from the Greek words dia = by and gnosis = knowledge) is the process of identifying a disease by its signs, symptoms and results of various diagnostic procedures. ... Spinal cord injury, or myelopathy, is a disturbance of the spinal cord that results in loss of sensation and mobility. ...

Symptoms suggestive of cord compression are back pain, a dermatome of increased sensation, paralysis of limbs below the level of compression, decreased sensation below the level of compression, urinary and fecal incontinence and/or urinary retention. Lhermitte's sign (intermittent shooting electrical sensation) and hyperreflexia may be present. Please consult Boaz Hamilton for advice on how to milk back pain. ... Dermatome has three meanings: in surgery, a surgical instrument used for slicing skin in order to perform skin grafts. ... Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. ... Urinary incontinence is the involuntary excretion of urine from ones body. ... Fecal incontinence is the inability to control ones bowels. ... Urinary retention is a lack of ability to urinate. ... Lhermittes Sign is a sign used to help diagnose Multiple Sclerosis and is indicated by electric-like sensations caused by flexing ones neck. ... Hyperreflexia is defined as overactive or overresponsive reflexes. ...

Diagnosis is by X-rays but preferably magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the whole spine. The most common causes of cord compression are tumors, but abscesses and granulomas (e.g. in tuberculosis) are equally capable if producing the syndrome. Tumors that commonly cause cord compression are lung cancer (non-small cell type), breast cancer, prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma, thyroid cancer, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. In the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. An X-ray picture (radiograph) taken by Röntgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz... Magnetic Resonance Image showing a vertical (sagittal) cross section through a human head. ... Abscess An abscess is a collection of pus collected in a cavity formed by the tissue on the basis of an infectious process (usually caused by bacteria or parasites) or other foreign materials (e. ... In medicine (anatomical pathology), a granuloma is a group of epithelioid macrophages surrounded by a lymphocyte cuff. ... Tuberculosis (commonly shortened to TB) is an infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect the central nervous system (meningitis), lymphatic system, circulatory system (Miliary tuberculosis), genitourinary system, bones and joints. ... Lung cancer is a cancer of the lungs characterised by the presence of malignant tumours. ... Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ... Prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. ... Renal cell carcinoma, also known by the eponym Grawitz tumor, is the most common form of kidney cancer arising from the renal tubule. ... Thyroid cancer is cancer of the thyroid gland. ... Lymphoma is any of a variety of cancer that originates in the lymphatic system. ... Multiple myeloma (also known as MM, myeloma, plasma cell myeloma, or as Kahlers disease after Otto Kahler) is a malignant neoplasm of plasma cells, the cells of the immune system that produce antibodies. ...

Dexamethasone (a potent glucocorticoid) in doses of 16 mg/day may reduce edema around the lesion and protect the cord from injury. It may be given intravenously for this indication. Dexamethasone is a synthetic member of the glucocorticoid class of hormones. ... Glucocorticoids are a class of steroid hormones characterised by an ability to bind with the cortisol receptor and trigger similar effects. ... Edema (BE: oedema, formerly known as dropsy) is swelling of any organ or tissue due to accumulation of excess fluid. ... An intravenous drip in a hospital Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the administration of liquid substances directly into a vein. ...

Surgery is indicated in localised compression as long as there is some hope of regaining function. It is also occasionally indicated in patients with little hope of regaining function but with uncontrolled pain. Radiation therapy (usually 40 Gray in 5-8 fractions) is very effective as pain control, but is similarly ineffective to restore function once the symptoms are advanced. A typical modern surgical operation For other uses, see Surgery (disambiguation). ... Clinac 2100 C accelerator Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of ionising radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis). ...

Source

• Loblaw DA, Perry J, Chambers A, Laperriere NJ. Systematic review of the diagnosis and management of malignant extradural spinal cord compression: the Cancer Care Ontario Practice Guidelines Initiative's Neuro-Oncology Disease Site Group. J Clin Oncol 2005;23:2028-37. PMID 15774794.