title: Nontraumatic spinal cord compression.
abstract: Nontraumatic spinal cord compression can have very dramatic clinical presentations with rapid onset of symptoms and quickly ensuing paralysis. The manifestations may be much more subtle. This text will discuss the four most common causes of myelopathy, including spinal canal hemorrhage, spinal abscess, compression by tumor, and skeletal disease. Compressive lesions to the spinal cord from other than these etiologies are rare.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Denver General Hospital, CO 80204-4507.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Markovchick
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000150:complications; D000208:Acute Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D013120:Spinal Cord Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000150:complications