SPINAL-CORD INJURY IN A CHILD - A LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP-STUDY - CASE-REPORT

The main features of spinal cord injuries in children are known to be that (1) plain radiographs do not show the bony injury; (2) many of th e injuries are complete spinal cord injuries; (3) many involve the upp er thoracic spine; and (4) the duration of spinal shock is short. Comp lications such as pressure sores occur just as easily in children as i n adults and the injuries are intractable. Typical complications in ch ildren with spinal cord injuries are spinal derformity and hip disloca tion. We discuss a patient with a C7 spinal cord injury caused by a fa ll when the patient was 3 years old, and the physical complications oc curring during the 15 years following the injury.