Traumatic Brown-Sequard-plus syndrome

Background: In the 1840s Brown-Sequard described the motor and sensory effe cts of sectioning half of the spinal cord. Penetrating injuries can cause B rown-Sequard or, more frequently, Brown-Sequard-plus syndromes. Objective: To report the case of a 25-year-old man who developed left-sided Brown-Sequard syndrome at the C8 level and left-sided Horner syndrome plus urinary retention and bilateral extensor responses following a stab wound in the right side of the neck. Results: Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a low cervical lesion and somatosensory evoked potentials confirmed the clinical finding of left-side dorsal column disturbance. At follow-up, the patient's mobility and bladde r function had returned to normal. Conclusions This patient recovered well after a penetrating neck injury tha t disturbed function in more than half the lower cervical spinal cord (Brow n-Sequard-plus syndrome).