title: Subacute posttraumatic ascending myelopathy in a 15-year-old boy.
abstract: Secondary injury following initial spinal cord trauma is uncommon and frequently attributed to mismanagement of an unprotected cord in the acute time period after injury. Subacute posttraumatic ascending myelopathy (SPAM) is a rare occurrence in the days to weeks following an initial spinal cord injury that is unrelated to manipulation of an unprotected cord and involves 4 or more vertebral levels above the original injury. The authors present a case of SPAM occurring in a 15-year-old boy who sustained a T3-4 fracture-dislocation resulting in a complete spinal cord injury, and they highlight the imaging findings and optimum treatment for this rare event.
authors.affiliation: Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, Department of Neurological Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Kovanda
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Horn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001642:Bicycling / Q000293:injuries*; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016268:Internal Fixators; D007796:Laminectomy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: SPAM = subacute posttraumatic ascending myelopathy; secondary spinal cord injury; subacute posttraumatic ascending myelopathy; trauma; traumatic spinal cord injury