Etiological spectrum of non-traumatic myelopathies: experience from a tertiary care centre.

AIM This study aimed to identify the clinical and radiological profile of non-traumatic myelopathies and various etiologies associated with them. MATERIAL AND METHODS Two hundred and four patients of non-traumatic myelopathy were prospectively studied in different wards of Sir Sundar Lal Hospital, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, from September 2002 to March2004. Patients underwent a detailed clinical evaluation followed by laboratory investigation and neuroimaging studies. RESULTS Among 204 patients of non-traumatic myelopathy, 108 patients presented with paraplegia and 96 patients with quadriplegia. Tuberculosis was the commonest cause of compression paraplegia in this series and was observed in 42 cases (33.33%) while quadriplegia was seen in only 3 cases (2.38%). In the present study, acute transverse myelitis formed the major bulk of non-compressive myelopathy. CONCLUSION Tuberculosis of spine was the most common cause of compressive myelopathy and among the non-compressive group acute transverse myelitis and SACD were the important etiology.