title: Diagnostic criteria of traumatic central cord syndrome. Part 2: a questionnaire survey among spine specialists.
abstract: METHODS
  A questionnaire survey.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the need for the introduction of quantitative diagnostic criteria for the traumatic central cord syndrome (TCCS).
  
  
  METHODS
  An online questionnaire survey with participants from all over the world.
  
  
  METHODS
  An invitation to participate in an eight-item online survey questionnaire was sent to surgeon members of AOSpine International.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 3340 invited professionals, 157 surgeons (5%) from 41 countries completed the survey. Whereas most of the respondents (75%) described greater impairment of the upper extremities than of the lower extremities in their own TCCS definitions, symptoms such as sensory deficit (39%) and bladder dysfunctions (24%) were reported less frequently. Initially, any difference in motor strength between the upper and lower extremities was considered most frequently (23%) as a 'disproportionate' difference in power. However, after presenting literature review findings, the majority of surgeons (61%) considered a proposed difference of at least 10 points of power (based on the Medical Research Council scale) in favor of the lower extremities as an acceptable cutoff criterion for a diagnosis of TCCS. Most of the participants (40%) felt that applying a single criterion to the diagnosis of TCCS is insufficient for research purposes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Various definitions of TCCS were used by physicians involved in the spinal trauma care. The authors consider a difference of at least 10 motor score points between upper and lower extremity power a clear diagnostic criterion. For clinical research purposes, this diagnostic criterion can be considered as a face valid addendum to the commonly applied TCCS definition as introduced by Schneider et al.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. jvanmiddendorp@gmail.com
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: van Middendorp
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Pouw
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chhabra
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Putz
authors.forename: R P H
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Veth
authors.forename: A C H
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Geurts
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aito
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kriz
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: McKinley
authors.forename: F W A
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: van Asbeck
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Curt
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Fehlings
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Van de Meent
authors.forename: A J F
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hosman
mesh_terms: D020210:Central Cord Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006801:Humans; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010243:Paralysis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*