Brown-Séquard syndrome: causes, symptoms, treatment. How to get rid of Brown-Séquard syndrome? Classification of this pathology

Synonyms of Brown-Séquard syndrome. Hemiplegia Brown-Sequard. Brown-Sequard's palsy. Brown-Sequard symptom complex. Spinal hemiplegia. Spinal hemiparaplegia. Unilateral spinal cord lesion.

Definition of Brown-Séquard syndrome. A characteristic neurological symptom complex that develops as a result of half-damage to the spinal cord.

Symptomatology of Brown-Séquard syndrome:
1. Spastic muscle paralysis and decreased deep sensitivity on the side.
2. Reduced pain and temperature sensitivity on the opposite side.
3. This combination of symptoms is absolutely typical for a half-spinal cord lesion.

Etiology and pathogenesis of Brown-Séquard syndrome. Damage or tumors causing damage to the spinal cord. With a half break of the spinal cord, the zones of sensory and motor paralysis do not coincide, since the paths of pain and temperature sensitivity largely intersect in the spinal cord (and not first in the medulla oblongata, like the paths of deep and most paths of tactile sensitivity).

Therefore, the areas of sensory paralysis do not coincide with the areas of motor paralysis. Tactile sensitivity suffers least of all, i.e., in addition to its unaffected crossed paths, uncrossed paths are also preserved.

Differential diagnosis of Brown-Séquard syndrome. Dissociated sensory paralysis.

Brown-Séquard syndrome is a complex of motor and sensory disorders that occur when half the diameter of the spinal cord is affected or damaged. It has different clinical variants and can occur for many reasons.

Possible reasons

Any pathological condition involving half of the spinal cord in cross section can lead to the development of Brown-Séquard syndrome. Local disruption of conduction along the nerve pathways of the spinal cord can occur acutely or gradually increase, depending on the etiology.

Main reasons:

• mechanical injury to the spinal cord (knife wound, gunshot wound, traumatic damage to nerve structures due to a unilateral comminuted fracture of the vertebral arch);

• hematoma of any origin compressing the spinal cord;

• a tumor growing in the direction of the spinal cord, displacing and compressing it;

• myelitis (inflammation of spinal cord tissue);

• ischemic focus in the spinal cord due to impaired blood circulation in the arteries feeding it;

• multiple sclerosis;

• concussion or contusion of the spinal cord;

• syringomyelia;

• abscess leading to narrowing of the lumen of the spinal canal;

• epiduritis;

• systemic sarcoidosis.

A patient with signs of Brown-Séquard syndrome requires a thorough examination to determine the exact cause of its development.

Clinical manifestations

Symptoms of Brown-Séquard syndrome consist of motor and sensory disorders. The patient may complain of weakness in the limbs or the inability to move them, numbness of half the body, lack of sensitivity of the skin to temperature influences (burns, frostbite), and impaired walking. All these disorders occur below the level of the lesion, which is an important diagnostic sign. For example, if the cervical spinal cord is involved, the upper extremities, trunk, and legs will be affected. And if there is damage at the lumbar level, symptoms will be found only in the buttocks and legs.

Main signs of transverse lesion half of the spinal cord:

• muscle paralysis with increased tone (central spastic paralysis) on the affected side due to impaired conduction along the corticospinal motor tract;

• when the cervical or lumbar enlargement of the spinal cord is damaged, local flaccid (peripheral) paralysis of certain muscles on the affected side appears, which is associated with damage to peripheral motor neurons (nerve cells responsible for movement);

• loss of pain and temperature sensitivity of the skin on the opposite half of the body due to the “switching off” of the lateral spinothalamic tract;

• on the affected side at the level of the spinal cord injury, a narrow stripe may appear on the skin with numbness, loss of surface sensitivity and radicular pain;

• pronounced disturbances of deep sensitivity on the affected side (loss of muscle-joint sensation, sensation of vibration and pressure), which causes a change in gait and ataxia may appear;

• autonomic disorders on the affected side, which is manifested by vascular and trophic disorders.

A very important diagnostic sign is the absence of pelvic disorders. Urination, defecation and the possibility of erection are preserved even with severe paralysis of one half of the lower body. This allows us to confirm the unilaterality of the spinal cord lesion.

Why do symptoms occur on both sides of the body?

The spinal cord consists of interneurons and many conductive fibers. They form motor and sensory pathways, some of them completely or partially intersecting at different levels. In this case, all or part of the nerve fibers move to the other side of the brain. Therefore, when one half of the spinal cord is affected and damaged, disorders occur not only on the same side of the body, but also on the opposite side.

Motor (motor) nerve fibers form the lateral corticospinal tract; it runs along the entire spinal cord in its lateral columns. Its fibers begin in the cerebral cortex. First, a portion of fibers departs from it and partially intersects, going to the nuclei of the cranial nerves. Then almost all the remaining fibers move to the opposite side; this happens in the lower parts of the brain. Therefore, with unilateral damage to this motor pathway, central paralysis of the same half of the body occurs.

A small portion of motor fibers that are not crossed in the brain forms the anterior corticospinal tract. Its fibers are intended for bilateral innervation of internal organs. This explains the preservation of pelvic functions in unilateral spinal cord injury.

The fibers of deep sensitivity intersect only in the brain, which explains the appearance of corresponding disorders on the side of the spinal cord lesion.

But the fibers responsible for superficial and pain sensitivity intersect at the level of the spinal cord. They gradually move to the opposite side, and the decussation begins 2–3 segments above the level of entry of these fibers into the spinal cord. Therefore, a person with Brown-Séquard syndrome will experience numbness on the other side of the body, starting just below the level of damage to half of the spinal cord.

Clinical variants of the syndrome

Sometimes not only the classic Brown-Séquard syndrome occurs, but its inverted (reverse) and partial (incomplete) variants are possible. In the first case, central paresis occurs on the side opposite to the damage, and disturbances of surface sensitivity occur on the same side.

With a high cervical level of damage (C I–C II) half of the spinal cord has its own characteristics:

• paralysis in the limbs is alternating (cross), in which the arm on the side of the brain injury is affected, and the leg on the opposite side;

• There are disturbances of superficial sensitivity of the bulbous type on half of the face on the affected side;

• There is ptosis (drooping of the upper eyelid), miosis (dilation of the pupil) and enophthalmos (recession of the eyeball) on the same side, which is called the Bernard-Horner symptom.

This cross-over variant of the syndrome of half transverse spinal cord lesions is often isolated into a separate syndrome, which is called subbulbar Opalski syndrome.

Diagnostics

To identify Brown-Séquard syndrome, the doctor needs a neurological hammer and a special needle to test sensitivity. (neurosurgeon, vertebrologist or doctor of another related specialty) identifies the presence of paralysis, its severity, muscle tone and the nature of the disorders (central or peripheral).

After this, surface sensitivity is checked and the level where its decrease is noted. Finally, the doctor diagnoses deep sensitivity disorders. For this purpose, special tests with passive movements in different joints can be used, in addition to this, a tuning fork and sets of weights. Everything makes it possible not only to confirm the presence of a transverse half lesion of the spinal cord, but also to determine its level with an accuracy of the segment.

To determine the cause of the lesion, radiography, MRI, CT, and, if necessary, other research methods are used.

Treatment

Treatment of Brown-Séquard syndrome is primarily an impact on the cause that caused it. In case of a tumor process, abscess, or hematoma, decompression is performed - removal of the formation compressing the brain.

Drugs are required to improve blood supply and nutrition to the spinal cord. These can be disaggregants, anticoagulants, vascular and neurotrophic agents. For example, chimes (dipyridamole), Cavinton, nicotinic acid, Cerebrolysin, heparin, vitamin preparations and other drugs are prescribed.

To reduce swelling of the damaged part of the spinal cord and adjacent areas, furosemide, mannitol, glycerin, and ethacrynic acid are used. For some diseases leading to the development of this syndrome, systemic corticosteroid therapy is used. Phenobarbital, ubretide and other drugs, and physical therapy may also be prescribed to improve tissue nutrition and activate the recovery process.

If Brown-Séquard syndrome develops, the patient is hospitalized in the department of neurology or neurosurgery. You should not rely on self-medication or folk remedies; you must follow your doctor’s recommendations.

LATERAL HEMISECTION OF THE SPINAL CORD

The syndrome of half lesions of the spinal cord occurs with its injuries, extramedullary tumors and ischemia due to circulatory disorders in the anterior sulcal artery (a branch of the anterior spinal artery). This artery supplies blood to almost the entire lateral half of the diameter of the spinal cord, with the exception of the posterior cords, therefore, in this case, with ischemia, Brown-Séquard syndrome will be incomplete, since there will be no conduction disorders of epicritic sensitivity on the affected side.

The leading clinical signs of Brown-Séquard syndrome are:

1. Spastic (central) paralysis (paresis) on the ipsilateral side (affected side) below the level of damage as a result of interruption of the descending corticospinal tract, which has already made the transition to the opposite side at the level of the transition of the medulla oblongata into the spinal cord.

2. Flaccid (peripheral) paralysis or paresis in the myotome on the ipsilateral side due to the destruction of the peripheral motor neurons innervating it.

3. Loss of deep types of sensitivity (sense of touch, touch, pressure, vibration, body weight, position and movement) on the affected side, which is manifested by symptoms of posterior columnar sensitive ataxia (see above), due to damage to one posterior cord (lemniscal system). Symptoms arise ipsilaterally, since the Gaulle and Burdach bundles at the level of the spinal cord conduct afferent impulses from their side, and the transition of their fibers to the opposite side occurs only upon exiting their own nuclei of the brain stem in the interolivary layer.

4. Loss of pain and temperature sensitivity according to the conduction type on the contralateral side due to damage to the neospino-thalamic tract, with damage to the lateral spinothalamic tract being of greater importance.

5. Disorder of all types of sensitivity of the segmental type on the affected side, if two or more segments are damaged.

6. Vegetative (vascular-trophic) disorders are detected on the affected side and in the area of ​​the corresponding segments.

7. Absence of disorders of the functions of urination and defecation, since the voluntary sphincters of the pelvic organs have bilateral cortical innervation (as part of the anterior cortico-muscular tract).

Examples of Brown–Séquard syndrome depending on the level of spinal cord damage:

1. Level CI–CII: central alternating paralysis (in the lower limb - contralateral, in the upper limb - ipsilateral); decrease in temperature and pain sensitivity on the face according to the “onion” type on the ipsilateral side – damage to the nucleus of the spinal tract of the V pair of cranial nerves; Bernard-Horner symptom (ptosis, miosis, enophthalmos) - damage to the conductors going from the cerebral cortex and under the tuberous region to the cells of the lateral horns of the spinal cord at the level of CVIII-TI (centrum ciliospinale); loss of deep sensitivity on the ipsilateral side with damage to the posterior cords and posterior columnar ataxia on the side of the lesion; loss of pain and temperature sensitivity according to a dissociated conduction type on the opposite half of the body and limbs. This syndrome belongs to extracranial alternating (crossed) syndromes - the so-called subbulbar Opalski syndrome.

2. Level CIII–CIV: spastic hemiplegia on the ipsilateral side (upper and lower limbs on the affected side) due to damage to the corticospinal tract; flaccid paralysis of the diaphragm muscles on the affected side due to damage to peripheral motor neurons at the CIII–CIV level, giving rise to the phrenic nerve; loss of deep sensitivity on the affected side according to the “hemi-” type, since the posterior cords are affected; loss of pain and temperature sensitivity on the opposite side according to the “hemi-” type, since the lateral spinothalamic tract, which intersects at the level of the spinal cord segments, suffers; loss of all types of sensitivity according to the segmental type in the area of ​​a given dermatome on the affected side; Bernard–Horner syndrome may appear on the affected side.

3. Level CV–TI: ipsilateral hemiplegia (in the arm – peripheral type due to damage to the corresponding myotomes, in the leg – spastic type), loss of deep types of sensitivity on the affected side of the conductive type; contralaterally – loss of superficial types of sensitivity according to the “hemi-” type starting from the TII–TIII dermatome; segmental type of sensory disorders on the ipsilateral side (all types); Bernard–Horner syndrome on the affected side with damage to the ciliospinal center; predominance of the tone of the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to an increase in the temperature of the skin of the face, neck, and upper limb.

4. Level TIV–TXII: spastic monoplegia (lower limb) on the ipsilateral side; loss or reduction of the cremasteric, plantar, abdominal (upper, middle and lower) reflexes on the affected side (elimination of the activating influences of the cerebral cortex on surface reflexes due to damage to the corticospinal tract); flaccid paralysis of the segmental type in the corresponding myotomes; loss of deep sensitivity on the affected side according to the conductor type with an upper border along the dermatome TIV-TXII (loss of the kinesthetic sense on the trunk); contralaterally – dissociated conduction anesthesia (loss of protopathic sensitivity) with an upper border on the TVII–(LI–LII) dermatome; loss of all types of sensitivity according to the segmental type in the corresponding dermatomes; autonomic disorders on the affected side according to the segmental type (Fig. 6).

5. Level LI–LV and SI-SII: peripheral paralysis of the “mono-” type in the leg on the affected side (damage to peripheral motor neurons); loss of deep types of sensitivity in the leg on the ipsilateral side due to damage to the posterior cord; contralaterally – loss of superficial sensitivity with the upper border on the SIII–SIV dermatome (perineum); loss of all types of sensitivity according to the segmental type on the ipsilateral side; autonomic disorders on the affected side.

6. Ischemic Brown-Séquard syndrome (disorder of spinal circulation of the ischemic type in the sulco-commissural artery supplying one half of the spinal cord, with the exception of the apex of the posterior horn and posterior cord on the same side): paralysis on the affected side ("mono-" or "hemi-", central or peripheral - depends on the level of the lesion), as well as in the area of ​​the corresponding myotome; contralaterally – loss of protopathic sensitivity in a dissociated, conductive type with an upper limit 1–2 segments lower than the level of damage to the spinal cord segments; loss of superficial types of sensitivity according to the segmental type in the corresponding dermatomes - ipsilaterally; autonomic disorders on the affected side.

7. There is inverted Brown-Séquard syndrome, the development of which is associated with a degenerative process at the level of the lumbar spine - osteochondrosis and compression of a large radicular vein. As a consequence, discogenic-venous myeloradiculoischemia develops, leading to bilateral small-focal lesions of the spinal cord. Clinically, this is manifested by spastic monoplegia of the lower limb and flaccid paralysis in the corresponding myotome ipsilaterally, as well as a dissociated bilateral disorder of surface sensitivity of the segmental conduction type.

Back pain occurs due to many reasons, most often as a consequence of serious injury, spinal problems, and neurological disorders. Often the doctor in this case speaks of Brown-Séquard syndrome. It includes a complex of different symptoms that indicate that the spinal cord is affected. Due to the fact that Brown-Séquard syndrome develops, disorders occur in the motor system because the spinal cord is damaged.

Causes of Brown-Séquard syndrome

1. As a consequence of mechanical trauma, injury, if a person survived a car accident, due to which there was a fracture and displacement.

2. Due to different tumors.

3. The syndrome develops as a result of contusion in the spinal cord, hematomyelia, epiduritis, multiple sclerosis.

Most often, the disease is triggered by mechanical trauma, when a person falls from a height or is beaten.

Symptoms of Brown-Séquard syndrome

There are frequent cases of leg paralysis, paresis, and loss of sensation. The disease progresses due to radicular and segmental disorders. The syndrome rarely manifests itself completely. Often symptoms are characteristic only of the affected side.

The symptoms of Brown-Séquard syndrome will depend on the cause of its appearance, what the injury was, and whether blood circulation in the spinal area is impaired after it.

How the disease develops will depend on its course. On the affected side, there is paralysis, complete loss of touch, vibration, and sensitivity is lost due to dilated blood vessels. In this situation, the skin becomes colder, and vascular-trophic disorders occur.

If the side is healthy, there is less pain, and sometimes temperature and painful tactile sensitivity occurs.

In the inverted form of the syndrome, the healthy side suffers from paralysis, paresis, problems arise with the muscular system, and joints are affected. How the symptoms progress depends on:

Video: Panic attack | what is | treatment | seizure | vsd | neurosis | reasons | fear | heart | panic

2. From the characteristics of vascularization. Often the partial form occurs due to the fact that blood circulation in the spinal artery is impaired, while the work in the joints and muscles is not impaired.

Treatment methods for Brown-Séquard syndrome

Most often, surgery is necessary. First, it is necessary to eliminate the cause due to which the syndrome appeared and began to develop; in this situation, it is necessary to stop the inflammation, get rid of the tumor, and improve blood circulation. If you have syringomyelia, the syndrome cannot be cured. The disease occurs at the genetic level, and there are still no exact treatments.

During the operation, what is compressing the spinal cord - vessels, roots - is removed. The main goal of the operation is to get rid of a pathological formation that is compressing the spinal cord. In this situation, treatment with Phenobarbital, Endur, Amaridine, vitamin E, and Ubretide is prescribed. Most often, Brown-Séquard syndrome is a consequence of a spinal injury, but sometimes it can be caused by other causes. Symptoms will depend on what caused the injury, where it is located, and where it hurts. The patient feels better only after the operation.

It is also important to restore blood circulation in the back area; for this purpose, medications are used to relieve swelling. You need to be extremely careful with the disease; if it worsens, a stroke may occur. If the stroke is acute, it is necessary to remove swelling from the spinal cord; for this it is recommended to use such drugs as Glycerin, Mannitol, Furosemide, ethacrynic acid. It is necessary to normalize the functioning of the heart, normalize the blood vessels, for this it is recommended to take drugs such as Cerebrolysin, Cavinton, Dipyridamole, nicotinic acid, this way you can normalize microcirculation and metabolic processes in the tissues of the brain. It is also necessary to use Heparin, this way you can protect yourself from thrombosis.

To recover faster, you need to use physiotherapeutic procedures - paraffin application, ozokerite, electrophoresis with potassium iodide. It is also necessary to use massage and perform therapeutic exercises. If conservative treatment does not help, surgery should be used.

What are the complications of Brown-Séquard syndrome?

If the disease is not treated in time, an arteriovenous aneurysm may rupture and the spine may be injured. In this case, sudden unbearable pain occurs. In some cases, it is shingles; a person may be disturbed by headaches, which are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and inhibited consciousness. Brown-Séquard syndrome can be combined with Kernig, Lasegue, in which symptoms of hemorrhage in the spinal cord can develop at any time.

Video: Things that guys love as much as girls

A rupture in the vascular-spinal system is especially dangerous, while the pain is local; a radicular type of pain can occur, which constantly increases.

So, Brown-Séquard syndrome is characterized by paralysis of the limbs; sensitivity may be impaired, both on one side and on both. The disease develops when there is a transverse lesion of the spinal cord - due to a tumor, injury, myelitis. At first the paralysis is flaccid, then it becomes spastic. Sensitivity problems arise at the same time. When the syndrome develops in the spinal cord, the motor type of fibers does not intersect. To get rid of the syndrome, it is important to identify the cause in time and eliminate it. In cases where the cranial nerves are involved in the process, problems arise with sensitivity on the side that is opposite. When the medial lemniscus is partially affected, the conduction type of disorder appears. If help is provided in time, the prognosis for the syndrome is favorable, the person can move independently, it is important to constantly keep the functions of the pelvic organs under control.

Everything interesting

Video: Kidney treatment - Kidney stones causes Nephrotic syndrome occurs due to an infectious, urological, chronic, metabolic disease. Often a complication of kidney disease. The pathological process is characteristic of...

Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine often occurs in both women and men. The pain is localized in the lumbar region, radiating to the sacrum and lower extremities, due to a pinched nerve. It is important to find out the cause of the disease in time and start...

The index finger on the right hand goes numb most often in the case of impaired blood circulation in the hand, or with serious diseases of the spine. Numbness can lead to limb amputation and even death. Get rid of an unpleasant symptom...

Video: Chiari malformation Surgical treatment Arnold-Chiari malformation is a congenital condition that causes the cerebellum to be located in the posterior fossa of the skull. The norm is when the cerebellum is located above the foramen occiput. Four types of anomalies can be distinguished. With the first type...

Froelich syndrome is characterized by a disorder of the brain part, which is responsible for appetite and hormonal synthesis. The syndrome causes obesity. Excess fat can be seen on the mammary glands, shoulders, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs. Syndrome…

Horner's syndrome is characterized by the fact that the oculomotor nerve is affected; it is responsible for the pupil constricting and dilating, and also ensuring the opening and closing of the eye. The pathological process leads to changes in the pupil...

With Guillain-Barré syndrome, severe weakness first appears, tingling is felt in the limbs, they lose sensitivity, first the disease affects the legs, then the arms. Often in people with the syndrome, the muscles that are responsible for breathing are affected...

Graefe syndrome is a pathological condition of the child's brain. Most often, a child is born with it, but sometimes an adult can develop the disease. In medicine, the disease is known as hydrocephalic syndrome. Pathological process...

The spinal cord ends in the first lumbar region. It is in this place that one can notice a cone-shaped formation; below, the continuation of the fibers in the form of a bundle with nerve roots. The fibrous continuation of the spinal cord is the cauda equina.…

One of the most dangerous lesions is brain diseases. They lead to impaired coordination of movements, mental function, and everything ends in death. Leigh syndrome is a serious condition in which...

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is a generalized epileptic form, in which convulsive seizures occur, psychomotor development is delayed, all changes are visible on the EEG. A child’s brain can be damaged due to congenital defects...

- This is a complex biomechanism, consisting of many elements and providing the body with motor activity. Any disruption to the operation of this mechanism can have serious consequences. Therefore, next we will talk about what Brown-Séquard syndrome is, why it occurs and how it is treated.

- a disease in which the spinal column and spinal cord are affected.

The pathological process covers half the diameter of the spinal cord at some level of the spine.

The disease is very rare

Reference. The disease is named after its discoverer, the French scientist Charles Edouard Brown-Séquard.

The pathological phenomenon is very rare. Among the ailments of the central nervous system, its share accounts for no more than 1-2%.

The classic type of disease that the French scientist studied is rare. As a rule, the course of the disease occurs in an alternative way.

In this regard, specialists in the field of neurology carried out a detailed classification of this pathological condition based on the following points:

• on the nature of the symptoms- classical, inverted, partial;
• from the provoking factor- traumatic, hematological, tumor, infectious.

This classification allows you to correctly diagnose the disease, select adequate therapy and conduct further monitoring of the patient.

The mechanism of occurrence of Brown-Séquard syndrome — a complex process that consists of several stages:

1. The impact of a negative factor on the spine area.
2. Damage to the neurons of one half of the diameter of the spinal cord with subsequent symptoms on the affected side.
3. The second half of the diameter remains intact, but despite this, symptoms (of a neurological nature) also occur.

Pathology has several stages of development

Since the formation mechanism is quite complex, it is worth paying attention to one more point - why symptoms occur on both sides if only one part is damaged.

The fact is that the structure of the spinal canal is represented by a large number of neurons and fibers, which completely or partially intersect with each other, and also pass to the opposite side of the spinal cord.

Therefore, with such damage, various disorders develop not only on the damaged part of the body, but also on the healthy one.

The development of this pathological process can provoke a whole list of different reasons:

The main reason is injury

• of various types (falls, injuries received as a result of an accident, knife and gunshot wounds);
• blood circulation disorders;
• tumor formations (meningioma, sarcoma);
• infections and inflammations in the spinal cord;
• abscesses, phlegmons compressing the spinal cord.

Yet root cause- injuries and other factors that cause a fracture of the spine, resulting in damage to the spinal canal.

This pathology is a symptom complex, the nature and severity of which are directly dependent on the variant of the pathological process, the level of damage, and the number of affected nerve fibers.

Differences in the course of the disease are determined by the location of the lesion and the characteristics of the patient’s body.

Symptoms vary in nature

The symptoms of Brown-Séquard syndrome at different levels of damage to the spinal canal are also considered:

1. Cervical region(C1-C2) — on the damaged part— paralysis of the arms and legs, loss of sensitivity of the skin on the face; on a healthy- loss of sensitivity in the neck, shoulders, lower face.
2. Cervical area(C3-C4) — on the affected half- paralysis, dysfunction of the diaphragmatic muscles; on a healthy- loss of sensitivity in the limbs.
3. Cervical and thoracic region(C5-Th1) — on the affected part- paralysis of limbs, loss of deep sensitivity at both sides.
4. Thoracic region(Th2-Th12) - leg paralysis, loss of reflexes and sensitivity on the affected part; on a healthy- loss of sensation in the legs, buttocks and lower back.
5. Lumbar(L1-L5) and sacral(S1-S2) area - paralysis of the lower limb and loss of sensation on the damaged part; on a healthy- disappearance of sensitivity in the perineum.

The pathology has a wide range of different manifestations, so before starting treatment it is necessary to diagnose it to identify the type of disease.

Diagnostic methods

To make an accurate diagnosis, a thorough examination of the patient is carried out, during which various diagnostic techniques can be used.

Reference. The examination is carried out under the guidance of a neurologist.

Diagnosis of Brown-Séquard syndrome is carried out in stages and looks like this:

1. Clarification of patient complaints, determining the time of onset of symptoms and identifying precipitating factors.
2. Examination of the patient- identifying the ability to move and make other movements with the arms and legs.
3. Palpation— determination of skin sensitivity.
4. Neurological examination e - identification of violations of tendon reflexes and sensitivity.
5. X-ray of the spine— performed in 2 projections and allows indirect assessment of spinal cord damage.
6. CT— identifies the injured area of ​​the spinal column.
7. MRI- the most informative method that identifies damage to the spinal cord, spine, blood vessels and nerve fibers.

The patient undergoes a thorough examination

Based on the examination results, the specialist selects a treatment regimen, taking into account the characteristics of the patient’s body.

Treatment

The only treatment option for the disease— . And since the symptoms and treatment of Brown-Séquard syndrome are interrelated, the appropriate surgical technique is selected based on these indicators.

Reference. Treatment is carried out by a specialist in a neurosurgical hospital.

During surgery First, the provoking factor (tumor, abscess, bone fragments of the vertebrae) is eliminated. Next, normal blood flow in the affected area and the integrity of the spine are restored. If necessary, spinal plastic surgery can be performed.

The syndrome can only be treated surgically

After the operation, the patient undergoes a rehabilitation course, which includes physiotherapy procedures (UHF, dynamic currents,) and that help activate metabolic processes, blood circulation and strengthen the muscle corset.

Conclusion

Various spinal lesions are dangerous and can lead to various serious complications. Therefore, you should carefully monitor the condition of the spine, avoid injury and seek help in time if any symptoms occur.