Malformations and Developmental Abnormalities
Congenital malformations of the spinal column are generally diagnosed immediately after birth or during the first years of life; rarely, they are discovered in older children or adults. The timing…
Hydrocephalus and Intracranial Hypotension
Fig. 10.1 First drawing of a human ventricular system. Drawing by Leonardo da Vinci from the Schlossmuseum in Weimar, shown here in modified form. This is the first drawing of a…
Vascular Diseases
y The relatively low incidence of spinal infarctions must certainly relate to the anatomy of ▶ the blood supply to the spinal cord. Briefly, the spinal cord is supplied by…
Infections
Bacteria Fungi Parasites Mycobacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. avium) Spirochetes (Borrelia burgdorferi, Leptospira interrogans, Treponema pallidum) Brucella Tropheryma whippelii Listeria monocytogenes Neisseria meningitidis Francisella tularensis Actinomycetes Nocardia Cryptococcus neoformans Coccidoides immitis…
Degenerative Diseases
Neurodegenerative disease processes lead to the destruction of normally functioning neurons and their replacement by functionally deficient tissue such as glial scar tissue. In many cases the actual causes of…
Head Trauma
Head Trauma W. Wiesmann 4.1 Introduction and Epidemiology The incidence of head trauma requiring hospitalization is estimated at 200 to 300 cases per 100,000 population per year. Children under 15 years old…
Inflammations, Infections, and Related Diseases
Fig. 16.1 Flowchart for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of diseases that may affect the spinal cord. Intramedullary processes cause variable neurologic symptoms that can range from mild sensory disturbances to…
Metabolic Disorders
Metabolic brain disorders generally result from a disturbance of normal metabolic processes involving defects in the synthesis or breakdown of certain substances. Clinical manifestations are usually based on the site…
