Bell's cruciate paralysis: a rare neurological diagnosis

Bell's cruciate paralysis is a rare incomplete spinal cord syndrome characterised by brachial diplegia. It is caused by an insult to the cervicomedullary junction of the spinal cord. We report three cases of cruciate paralysis following traumatic injury to the cervical spine. In all three cases the clinical diagnosis of cruciate paralysis was confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The prognosis varies according to the underlying cause, but is generally good. The clinical diagnosis of cruciate paralysis helps localise the injury to the cervicomedullary junction.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Laubscher,M, Naudé,PH, Held,M, Dunn,R, Kruger,N
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Medpharm Publications 2012
Online Access:http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1681-150X2012000400007
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Bell's cruciate paralysis is a rare incomplete spinal cord syndrome characterised by brachial diplegia. It is caused by an insult to the cervicomedullary junction of the spinal cord. We report three cases of cruciate paralysis following traumatic injury to the cervical spine. In all three cases the clinical diagnosis of cruciate paralysis was confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The prognosis varies according to the underlying cause, but is generally good. The clinical diagnosis of cruciate paralysis helps localise the injury to the cervicomedullary junction.