Autonomic dysreflexia triggered by an unstable lumbar spine in a quadriplegic patient

A 40 year-old man with C5 complete quadriplegia, had L2-L3 pyogenic spondylitis treated with debridement and fusion of the lumbar spine with left iliac bone graft. Three months later he developed symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia, including headache, cold sweating, and hypertension whenever he was i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inChang Gung medical journal Vol. 28; no. 7; pp. 508 - 511
Main Authors Wu, Katie P, Lai, Po-Liang, Lee, Li-Fang, Hsu, Chih-Chin
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published China (Republic : 1949- ) 01.07.2005
Subjects
Adult
Autonomic Dysreflexia - etiology
Humans
Lumbar Vertebrae
Male
Quadriplegia - etiology
Quadriplegia - physiopathology
Spondylitis - complications
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Summary:A 40 year-old man with C5 complete quadriplegia, had L2-L3 pyogenic spondylitis treated with debridement and fusion of the lumbar spine with left iliac bone graft. Three months later he developed symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia, including headache, cold sweating, and hypertension whenever he was in an upright position. These symptoms resolved after lying down. Roentgenograms of the lumbar spine revealed absorption of the bone graft at the L2-L3 level. A spinal stabilization procedure was done after eight weeks of antibiotic therapy under the impression of unstable spine caused by pyogenic spondylitis. Symptoms were relieved immediately following the surgery. This report may be helpful for physicians caring for quadriplegic patients with autonomic dysreflexia induced by an unstable spine.
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ISSN:2072-0939