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Shim, Kim, and Im: Acute Spinal Cord Injury after Cervical Nerve Root Block
Case Report
Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association

Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association 2010; 45(5): 408-412.

Published online: 31 October 2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4055/jkoa.2010.45.5.408

Acute Spinal Cord Injury after Cervical Nerve Root Block

Dae-Moo Shim, M.D., Tae-Kyun Kim, M.D., Jae Chang Im, M.D.

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea.

Correspondence to: Tae-Kyun Kim, M.D. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, 344-2, Shinyong-dong, Iksan 570-711, Korea. TEL: +82-63-859-1360, FAX: +82-63-852-9329, osktg@wonkwang.ac.kr

Received 23 March 2010       Accepted 15 July 2010

Copyright © 2010 by The Korean Orthopaedic Association

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Selective cervical nerve root block is a widely utilized nonsurgical strategy for the management of cervical radicular and axial pain. The technique has been shown to be efficacious in relieving the patient's symptoms. Although effective, there are a range of possible complications associated with this procedure. In particular, acute spinal cord injury after cervical nerve root block is very rare, but it lead to serious functional impairment. The literature on acute spinal cord injury is very small and there have been no reports from Korea. We experienced a case of a patient with an acute injury of the cervical spinal cord after cervical nerve root block who was followed 28 months.

Keywords: cervical radiculopathy, nerve root block, spinal cord injury

Figures and Tables

Figure 1
Initial T2W MR images show degenerative change and burging disc in C5-6.
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Figure 2
Fluoroscopic image during cervical nerve root block.
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Figure 3
T2W MR image after 1 week.
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Figure 4
T2W MR image after 6 months.
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