Background: Subacute posttraumatic ascending myelopathy (SPAM) involves the rise in high signal intensity on T2-weighted images ≥4 vertebral segments above the initial injured site, and it usually occurs within the first few weeks after the injury. The pathophysiologic mechanisms of traumatic spinal cord damage are not clearly understood; however, there are some pathophysiologic processes such as arterial thrombosis, venous thrombosis, congestive ischemia, inflammatory or autoimmune reaction, and infection in the form of meningitis or myelitis that could lead to SPAM.
Case description: We present a case of T7 fracture because of left shoulder gunshot injury and ascending myelopathy up to the C2 vertebra level, which occurred 1 week after the gunshot injury, without pretraumatic cervical injury or syringomyelia. Although control magnetic resonance imaging findings showed the second rise in the high signal intensity level of the spinal cord, T2-weighted signal intensity and cord edema decreased and the patient showed neurologic improvement.
Conclusions: This was the first case in the literature that showed rise 2 times in high signal intensity level in the spinal cord because of gunshot injury. Inflammatory reactions and secondary injury processes might have led to neurologic deterioration and ascending myelopathy in our case; therefore, the patient may have shown neurologic improvement after methylprednisolone therapy because of its anti-inflammatory and antiedema effects. There is no clear evidence whether neurologic improvement is associated with steroid therapy or it is because of the natural course of SPAM.
Keywords: Ascending myelopathy; Gunshot injury; Neurologic deterioration; Spinal cord edema.
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