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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Brown-Sequard Syndrome
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Brown-Sequard Syndrome
by Sarah__0__0, Sep 01, 1998 12:00AM
I am a 28 year old female with loss of sensory on the left and motor on
the right. I have severe headaches from the ear to the back of the head
and down the spine. It runs through the nerves of my body. It also hits
the sinus cavity. I have shaking or tremors. My eyes at time are not
controlled. I have some what of a loss of temperature. My gait at times
is not steady. The majority of my pain though comes from the C7 area. I
have been diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis although it only has paralysis
on the left side mild. MRI, CT scan, blood work, x-rays, are all negative.
I have research Brown-Sequard Syndrome and it seems to be the closest in
symptoms although I have not had a recent trauma to the spinal cord area.
Do you have any suggestions? I go for a second MRI tomorrow?
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Dear Sarah:
Brown-Sequard syndrome essentially means what you seem to be describing, namely, weakness (motor) affecting one side (leg +/- arm) with impairment of some aspects of sensation (light touch, pain, temperature) affecting the other side (leg, trunk, with or without the arm). This peculiar combination of findings is essentially a consequence of the anatomical arrangement of long tracts subserving motor and sensory function in the spinal cord. Although the pure form of the syndrome is rare, a variation on it with some "crossed" dysfunction is quite common.
It is important for you to know that the syndrome is in no way associated with a specific cause of the spinal cord problem, and certainly does not imply a particular prognosis. All it implies is some disease or lesion of the spinal cord. For all practical purposes the eponym is relevant only to neurologists to "localize" pathology, and to medical students to understand spinal cord anatomy.
I cannot guess the cause of your problem. Relatively common causes of a cord problem in a person of your age include multiple sclerosis, tumor within or outside the spinal cord, post-infective "transverse myelitis", and trauma.
Good luck!
