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Case Report: Cervical Klippel-Feil syndrome predisposing an elderly African man to central cord myelopathy following minor trauma


A Olufemi
R Olusola

Abstract

An otherwise-healthy, active 83-year-old Nigerian man developed reversible central cord myelopathy from a mild fall on a level surface. Cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed C5, 6, and 7 block vertebrae and marked disc extrusions only at the immediately adjoining upper and lower non-fused segments of the cervical spine. There was no spinal canal stenosis otherwise. We think that the unique presentation of this case of Klippel-Feil syndrome further supports the impression that following fusion (congenital or acquired) of one segment of the spinal column, hypermobility of the non-fused adjoining segments may strongly predispose to more disc extrusions.

Key Words: Klippel-Feil syndrome, Central cord syndrome, minor trauma


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eISSN: 1729-0503
print ISSN: 1680-6905