Upper limbs dysmetria caused by cervical spinal cord injury: a case report

BACKGROUND Upper limbs dysmetria caused by spinal cord injury is very rare. We will discuss the associated mechanism in our articles. CASE PRESENTATION A 51-year-old male had sudden onset of weakness, dysmetria over bilateral upper limbs and ataxia after he fell accidentally. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed no specific findings. C-spine MRI revealed C1 myelopathy and C4-6 spinal cord compression by bulged disc. The symptoms subsided after surgical intervention. CONCLUSION Sudden onset of upper limbs dysmetria is a sign of dysfunction in cerebellum and its associated pathway. However, lesion in spinal cord can also cause cerebellar signs such as dysmetria.