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BROWN-SEQUARD SYNDROME

BROWN-SEQUARD SYNDROME

Brown-Sequard syndrome is a rare and treatable neurological disease in which there is muscle weakness (or paralysis) on one side of the body and loss of sensation on the other side. It can happen due to various traumatic and non-traumatic causes.

Dr. Charles-Edouard Brown-Séquard first described this neurological syndrome in the 1840s. It occurs in around 2% to 4% of people with traumatic SCIs in the United States.

The spinal cord is a delicate cylindrical tube that extends from the base of your brain through the spine up to the tailbone. It's made of bundles of nerves that send signals to and from the brain to all parts of your body.

DESCRIPTION:-

Since the spinal cord is the carrier of information for your entire body, damage to any affects all the body parts with nerves connected to that area. For example, a complete SCI will result in the total loss of function and sensation in all body parts below the level of the injury.

Brown-Séquard syndrome, also known as lateral cord syndrome, occurs due to injury to one side of the spinal cord and can happen at any level. Because this syndrome results from a partial injury, the function in some parts of the spinal cord is preserved.

SOME BROWN-SEQUARD SYNDROME CAUSES:-

Brown-Sequard syndrome usually happens due to spinal damage caused by stab or gunshot wounds, falls, vehicular accidents, or blunt force trauma.

Non-traumatic causes include:

  • Genetic spinal malformations
  • Infections like meningitis, myelitis, herpes, and tuberculosis
  • Radiation exposure
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Epidural hematomas, in which blood collects inside the skull
  • Spinal ischemia, in which there's decreased blood supply to the spine due to blocked vessels
  • Spinal disorders like cervical spondylosis
  • Arachnoid cysts (brain cysts)
  • Intravenous drug use, which can contribute to brain abscesses
  • Spinal cord tumors
  • Herniated discs
  • Decompression sicknesses.

OVERVIEWS:-

Brown-Sequard syndrome is a rare spinal disorder that results from an injury to one side of the spinal cord in which the spinal cord is damaged but is not severed completely. It is usually caused by an injury to the spine in the region of the neck or back. In many cases, affected individuals have received some type of puncture wound in the neck or in the back that damages the spine and causes symptoms to appear.

Characteristically, the affected person loses the sense of touch, vibrations and/or position in three dimensions below the level of the injury (hemiparalysis or asymmetric paresis). The sensory loss is particularly strong on the same side (ipsilateral) as the injury to the spine. These sensations are accompanied by a loss of the sense of pain and of temperature (hypalgesia) on the side of the body opposite (contralateral) to the side at which the injury was sustained.

HOMEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

The Homeopathic medicines that can be thought of use are:-

  • Aconite
  • Apis mel
  • Belladonna
  • Bryonia
  • Ferrum phos
  • Gelsemium