Paraplegia (Paraparesis) from Functional Weakness

Functional Electrical Stimulation in Paraplegia

Functional weakness and sensory disturbance.

In the diagnosis of functional weakness and sensory disturbance, positive physical signs are as important as absence of signs of disease. Motor signs, particularly Hoover's sign, are more reliable than sensory signs, but none should be used in isolation and must be interpreted in the overall context of the presentation. It should be borne in mind that a patient may have both a functional and an...

Functional weakness: clues to mechanism from the nature of onset.

BACKGROUND Functional weakness describes weakness which is inconsistent and incongruent with disease. It is also referred to as motor conversion disorder (DSM-IV), dissociative motor disorder (ICD-10) and 'psychogenic' paralysis. Studies of aetiology have focused on risk factors such as childhood adversity and life events; information on the nature and circumstance of symptom onset may shed lig...

Paraplegia and paraparesis after descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair: a risk factor analysis.

BACKGROUND The risk factors of paraplegia and paraparesis (P/P) after surgical repair of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) are controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS Seventy five patients underwent surgical repair of descending TAA from 2001 through 2002. The mean age was 64.2+/-5.2 years old (range; 26-81) and 58 patients (77.3%) are male. There were 47 patients (62.7%) with nondissecti...

Bladder and rectal incontinence without paraplegia or paraparesis after endovascular aneurysm repair

Spinal cord ischemia is a well-known potential complication of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), and it is usually manifested by paraplegia or paraparesis. We describe a case in which spinal cord ischemia after EVAR presented by isolated bladder and rectal incontinence without other neurological deficits. A 63-year-old woman presented with intermittent claudication secondary to an infrarenal...