Abstract

Background: Myelopathies result in motor, sensory and autonomic disability thereby restricting patients mobility and lead to a poor quality of life. Non-compressive myelopathy encompasses various diseases that are intrinsic to the cord and are considered to have primarily  inflammatory, infectious and vascular etiologies. Present study was aimed to discuss patients of non-compressive myelopathy admitted at our tertiary care hospital.
Material and Methods: Present study was single-center, prospective, observational study, conducted in patients admitted in wards/ICU OR attending the outpatient department with signs and symptoms of myelopathy, labelled as a case of non-compressive myelopathy.
Results: 28 patients of non-compressive myelopathy were studied. Majority cases were from 31-40 years age group (39.29 %) & 41-50 years age group (28.57 %), were male (60.71 %) & had chronic course of illness (67.86 %).Common Motor manifestations observed were quadriparesis (71.43 %), paraparesis (39.29 %), spasticity (35.71 %) & flexor spasms (7.14 %). While common sensory manifestations noted were sphincter involvement (71.43 %), posterior column sensory loss (57.14 %), paresthesia (53.57 %), spinothalamic sensory loss (46.43 %) & peripheral neuropathy (14.29 %). Acute transverse myelitis (35.71 %) was most common etiology, followed by multiple sclerosis (14.29 %), vitamin B12 deficiency (14.29 %), tubercular (7.14 %), neuromyelitis optica (7.14 %) & vascular (3.57 %). In 5 cases exact etiology could not be made out (17.86 %).
Conclusion: In cases of non-compressive myelopathies, detailed history and clinical examination coupled with neuroradiological imaging and serological markers have increased our diagnostic accuracy