Central Cord Syndrome eMedicine PMR

Description: Central cord syndrome (CCS), an acute cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), was initially described by Schneider and colleagues in 1954. It is marked by a disproportionately greater impairment of motor function in the upper extremities than in the lower ones, as well as by bladder dysfunction and a variable amount of sensory loss below the level of injury.1, 2 Although CCS has been reported to occur more frequently among older persons with cervical spondylosis who sustain hyperextension injury, it can be found in persons of any age and can be associated with various etiologies, injury mechanisms, and predisposing factors.2 CCS is the most common incomplete SCI syndrome.
Synonyms and related keywords: cervical central cord syndrome, cervical CCS, CCS, cervical spinal cord injury, SCI, spinal cord injury, cord trauma, spinal cord trauma
Michelle J Alpert, MD 2007