The dura causes spinal cord compression after spinal cord injury

Abstract

MR scans from 65 patients with traumatic spinal cord injury were analysed; on admission 95% had evidence of cord compression – in 26% due to the dura, and in the remaining 74% due to extradural factors. Compression due to dural factors resolved with a half-life of 5.5 days. These findings suggest that bony decompression alone may not relieve spinal cord compression in the quarter of patients in whom dural factors are significant.

Keywords:

• Laminectomy
• magnetic resonance imaging
• spinal cord compression
• spinal cord injury

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Corrigendum

Disclosure statement

The authors disclose no competing interests.

Funding information

This work was supported by grants from the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation, Neurosciences Research Foundation (Ethel Househam fund, Nick Fletcher fund), the London Deanery and Royal College of Surgeons of England (research fellowship to MCW).