title: MR of cord transection.
abstract: Spinal cord transection following breech or difficult cephalic deliveries has been well described. It is important to be aware that spinal cord transection in children may occur following severe trauma such as motor vehicle accidents often without evidence of underlying skeletal injury. We report three pediatric cases, one of which showed no evidence of underlying skeletal injury and two where the level of cord transection was below and remote from the site of a cervical fracture. When a neurologic deficit does not correlate with a known bony or ligamentous level of injury or is present despite normal routine plain radiographs, further imaging is warranted to exclude a remote cord transection as demonstrated in our patients.
authors.affiliation: Mary Nell and Ralph B. Rogers Magnetic Resonance Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-9085.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Mendelsohn
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zollars
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Weatherall
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Girson
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology