Quiz Form

Question Date: 12/07/2023

Question: Which of the following is most likely to be normal 3 months after trauma that resulted in complete loss of function of the left side of the spinal cord at the C6 level, but spared the right side of the spinal cord?

Options:

• Bladder function
• Pain and temperature sensation in the right lower extremity
• Vibration and position sensation in the left lower extremity
• Voluntary movement in the left lower extremity

Correct Answer: Bladder function

Explaination: Below the level of hemicord injury, patients typically develop impaired pain and temperature sensation contralaterally and impaired voluntary movements and vibration and position sensation ipsilaterally. If the injury is above T2, patients also typically develop ipsilateral Horner syndrome. Bladder function is usually spared because, in general, cord lesions must be bilateral in order to affect bladder, bowel, and sexual function.

Reference: Cho TA. Spinal cord functional anatomy. Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2015 Feb;21(1 Spinal Cord Disorders):13-35. doi: 10.1212/01.CON.0000461082.25876.4a. Erratum in: Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2015 Jun;21(3 Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry):590. PMID: 25651215