Abstract
Acute transverse myelitis (ATM) rarely involves the cervical spinal cord. We report on two patients with ATM and cervical cord involvement. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed high intensity signals in T2 extending far beyond the sensory level in both patients. Motor evoked potential (MEP) was unrecordable in all but one limb, and there it was marginally prolonged. Tibial somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) was unrecordable while median SEP was normal in both patients. Both MEP and SEP correlated with their respective clinical deficits but MEP seemed to correlate better with the MRI changes.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Dawson D M, Potts F (1991) Acute nontraumatic myelopathies. In: Woolsey RM and Young RR, editors. Neurologic Clinics. Disorders of the Spinal Cord. WB Saunders company, Philadelphia: 551–603.
Barakos J A, Mark A S, Dillon W P, Norman D (1990) MRI imaging of acute transverse myelitis and AIDS myelopathy. J Comput Assist Tomogr 21: 45–50.
Bitzan M (1987) Rubella myelitis and encephalitis in childhood: a report of two cases with magnetic reponse imaging. Neuropediatrics 18: 84–87.
Merine D, Wang H, Kumar A J et al 1987 CT myelography and MR imaging of acute transverse myelitis. J Comput Assist Tomogr 11: 606–608.
Ropper A H, Miett T, Chiappa K H (1982) Absense of evoked potential abnormalities in acute transverse myelopathy. Neurology 32: 80–82.
Misra U K, Sharma V P (in press) Central and peripheral conduction studies in lathyrism. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry.
Chiappa K H (1985) Evoked Potentials in Clinical Medicine. Raven Press, New York: 203-234.
Walton J (1986): Myelitis (myelopathy). In: Walton J, editor. Brain's Diseases of the Nervous System. Oxford University press, Oxford: 420–422.
Hess C W, Mills K R, Murray N M F, Schriefer T N (1987) Magnetic brain stimulation: Central motor conduction studies in multiple sclerosis. Ann Neurol 22: 744–755.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Misra, U., Kalita, J. Transverse myelitis—neurophysiological and MRI correlation. Spinal Cord 32, 593–596 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1994.94
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1994.94
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Postural hypotension in a patient with cervical myelopathy due to cranio-vertebral anomaly
Clinical Autonomic Research (1997)