The articles previewed below were selected from a monthly screening of the National Library of Medicine database for articles on spinal cord injury. In the judgment of the editors, they include potentially useful information on the diagnosis or management of spinal cord injury. A request to your local medical library is the fastest and least expensive method to obtain copies of the complete articles. A case of a pregnant woman with acute tetraplegia is described. Hemodynamic and fetal monitoring during the three-week period of neurogenic shock resulted in good maternal and fetal outcomes.
Peritoneal lavage is therefore an appropriate early diagnostic maneuver.
A high epigastric entry point and an open technique in late pregnancy are usually indicated to avoid injuring the enlarged uterus. Because silent uterine contractions and painless cervical dilation may occur, teaching the patient to self monitor uterine activity by palpation, regular external tocodynamometry to assess occurrence of contractions, and periodic cervical exams are mandatory in the recuperation phase. Gilson GJ, Miller AC, Clevenger FW, et al. However, the present authors believe that neurologic damage occurs at the moment of injury when the anatomy is most distorted, and is not due to impingement in the resting positions observed afterwards. This technique permits assessment of damage to peripheral nerves as well as the central nervous structures, is noninvasive, and can be used during spinal shock.