Electrophysiological Analysis of Transmission Via Spinal Pathways After Vertebral Trauma

Abstract

Complex electrophysiological examination of the state of spinal neuronal mechanisms was carried out in patients after complicated vertebral trauma (n = 52). Electromyographic responses of the muscles of the upper and lower limbs evoked by stimulation of the peripheral nerves, effects of magnetic stimulation (MS) of the brain cortex (transcranial MS, TMS) and spinal roots, and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) were recorded. Partial disorders of the motor functions of the lower limbs were observed in 21 patients. Subjects with complete absence of movements of the limbs demonstrated two variants of the patterns of electrophysiological phenomena. In 21 patients, evoked potentials were entirely absent, while reduced MS-evoked motor responses (MS MRs) and SSEPs could be observed in 10 subjects. The presence of these potentials was indicative of partial preservation of the cerebrospinal pathways after damage to the spinal cord. Thus, estimation of the results of complex electrophysiological examination allows one to objectively verify the state and dynamics of transmission via the spinal pathways, to make justified the tactics of treatment, and to estimate the efficacy of the measures directed toward recovery of the lost functions of spinal mechanisms.