Abstract
Birth injury to the spinal cord secondary to traction forces during delivery is a common but frequently undiagnosed disorder. The injury usually affects the cervicodorsal junction, with both extradural hematoma and direct cord damage at the level. Clinical findings of a paraplegic infant with abdominal breathing are sometimes obscured by sccondary pneumonia and/or hypoxia. Radiologic manifestations include a bell shaped chest indicative of loss of the external muscles of respiration; spinal roentgenograms are usually normal. Myelography in neonatal spinal injury demonstrates a block in the subarachnoid space; infrequently localized cord atrophy may be identified.
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Franken, E.A. Spinal cord injury in the newborn infant. Pediatr Radiol 3, 101–104 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01000122
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01000122