Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a group of genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders characterized by slowly progressive spasticity and weakness of the lower limbs. HSP is caused by failure of development or selective degeneration of the corticospinal tracts, which contain the longest axons in humans. The most common form of HSP is caused by mutations of the spastin gene (SPA...

Hereditary spastic paraplegias are a heterogeneous group of chronic central motor system disorders, characterised by progressive lower limb spasticity. Hereditary spastic paraplegia is clinically classified into pure and complicated forms, by the absence or presence of additional neurological or extra-neurological features. Hereditary spastic paraplegias follow all modes of inheritance and the ...

Although it is well established that paraplegia results in dramatic lifestyle changes, little is understood about living in the community with paraplegia, especially from the perspective of the person with paraplegia. To develop insight into this experience, in-depth, personal interviews were conducted with seven individuals with paraplegia who had been living back in the community for less tha...

A previous study using spirometric methods demonstrated that 42% of subjects with tetraplegia experienced significant bronchodilation following inhalation of metaproterenol sulfate (MS). Comparative studies involving subjects with paraplegia were not performed and none has been performed in this population using body plethysmography, a more sensitive method used to assess airway responsiveness....

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive spasticity in the lower extremities. Mutations in the atlastin GTPase 1 (ATL1) gene cause approximately 10% of autosomal dominantly inherited HSP. For many subjects with an ATL1 mutation, spastic gait begins in early childhood and does not significantly worsen, even over many years; such cases resemb...

We report a case of paraplegia without neurologic deficit of upper extremities following cervical epidural catheterization using air during the loss of resistance technique. A 41-year-old woman diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome had upper and lower extremity pain. A thoracic epidural lead was inserted for a trial spinal cord stimulation for treating lower extremity pain and cervical ...

A 31-year-old man presented with acute onset of paraplegia. The patient's history was significant for thyroid carcinoma that had been treated 2 years earlier by thyroidectomy. A magnetic resonance imaging scan showed an enhancing intramedullary lesion at T7-8. Patient underwent surgical treatment and a tumor with hematoma was resected via posterior midline myelotomy. Postoperatively, the patien...

Fourteen cases of simulated paraplegia and tetraplegia encountered amongst 4,800 neurosurgical admissions are described. The classification of such cases is difficult. Use of the term "hysteria" depends on whether the behaviour is judged to be conscious or not, but this can rarely be decided. In most of the patients the paralysis was of relatively short duration and recovered rapidly with simpl...

We report a patient who developed paraplegia caused by a spinal epidural hematoma after removal of an epidural catheter, which resolved spontaneously. A 60-year-old woman underwent thoracoscopic partial resection of the left lung under general anesthesia combined with epidural anesthesia. She neither was coagulopathic nor had received anticoagulants. Paraplegia occurred 40 minutes after removal...