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Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a condition that occurs when the bundle of nerves below the end of the spinal cord known as the cauda equina is damaged. [2] Signs and symptoms include low back pain , pain that radiates down the leg , numbness around the anus, and loss of bowel or bladder control. [ 1 ]
An MRI of the lumbar spine with abscess that resulted in CES. Cauda equina syndrome is a rare syndrome that affects the spinal nerves in the region of the lower back called the cauda equine (Latin for "horses tail"). Injury to the cauda equina can have long lasting ramifications for the individual.
The cauda equina (from Latin tail of horse) is a bundle of spinal nerves and spinal nerve rootlets, consisting of the second through fifth lumbar nerve pairs, the first through fifth sacral nerve pairs, and the coccygeal nerve, all of which arise from the lumbar enlargement and the conus medullaris of the spinal cord.
MRI is more effective than CT in distinguishing inflammatory, malignant, or inflammatory etiologies of LDH. It is indicated relatively early in the course of evaluation (<8 weeks) when the patient presents with relative indications like significant pain, neurological motor deficits, and cauda equina syndrome.
Radiculopathy (with or without radicular pain), [20] a neurologic condition in which nerve root dysfunction causes objective signs such as weakness, loss of sensation, and loss of reflex. Cauda equina syndrome: [22] lower extremity pain, weakness, numbness that may involve perineum and buttocks, associated with bladder and bowel dysfunction.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred modality for the evaluation of back pain and visualization of bone, soft tissue, nerves and ligaments. X-rays are a less costly initial option offered to patients with a low clinical suspicion of infection or malignancy, and they are combined with laboratory studies for interpretation.
MRI provides better resolution of tissue density, absence of bone interference, multiplanar capabilities, and is noninvasive. Plain films may show bony erosion of the spinal canal or of the sacral foramina. [citation needed] On MRI pictures, the signal is the same as the CSF one. If MRI made with a contrast medium: [citation needed]
After the spinal cord tapers out, the spinal nerves continue to branch out diagonally, forming the cauda equina. [1] The pia mater that surrounds the spinal cord, however, projects directly downward, forming a slender filament called the filum terminale, which connects the conus medullaris to the back of the coccyx. The filum terminale provides ...