title: Etiological spectrum of non-traumatic myelopathies: experience from a tertiary care centre.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to identify the clinical and radiological profile of non-traumatic myelopathies and various etiologies associated with them.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and four patients of non-traumatic myelopathy were prospectively studied in different wards of Sir Sundar Lal Hospital, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, from September 2002 to March2004. Patients underwent a detailed clinical evaluation followed by laboratory investigation and neuroimaging studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 204 patients of non-traumatic myelopathy, 108 patients presented with paraplegia and 96 patients with quadriplegia. Tuberculosis was the commonest cause of compression paraplegia in this series and was observed in 42 cases (33.33%) while quadriplegia was seen in only 3 cases (2.38%). In the present study, acute transverse myelitis formed the major bulk of non-compressive myelopathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tuberculosis of spine was the most common cause of compressive myelopathy and among the non-compressive group acute transverse myelitis and SACD were the important etiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Chaurasia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Misra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009188:Myelitis, Transverse / Q000150:complications*; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000209:etiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000209:etiology*; D011859:Radiography; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D013128:Spinal Osteophytosis / Q000150:complications*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries