Unusual stab injury of the spinal cord

Abstract

Objective: To report an unusual penetrating stab injury of the spinal cord.

Design: Case report of a 13-year-old boy who sustained cervical trauma following an accident while playing.

Setting: Spinal Cord Injuries Unit, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, UK.

Case report: Mechanism of injury was by a spear-like electric fence post entering the neck. Initial neurological examination revealed tetraplegia with C4 sensory level. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of spinal cord demonstrates the penetrating injury.

Conclusion: No ligamentous instability was demonstrated. In the absence of this, the penetrating injury by a short blade thrown at speed was felt to be responsible for the subsequent injury and resulting outcome at discharge of C4 American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade D tetraplegia.