Patients in spine orthopedics often experience symptoms such as pain and numbness in both lower limbs, intermittent claudication, etc., which may be related to lumbar spinal stenosis, cauda equina nerve compression, dural sac compression, disc herniation, tumor compression, or lumbar burst fractures, etc.**.
These** can lead to damage to the cauda equina nerve in the spinal canal, which can lead to cauda equina syndrome.
When patients have these symptoms, doctors usually recommend patients to undergo lumbar spine MRI examination, and the results of the examination usually show signs such as lumbar spinal stenosis, cauda equina nerve compression, dural sac compression, intervertebral disc herniation, etc., and the specific needs to be combined with the patient's symptoms and signs to clarify ** and formulate the corresponding ** plan.
This report will retrospectively analyze the clinical data of a patient with cauda equina syndrome, with the aim of improving the understanding and diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Cauda equina syndrome clinical report
Case Presentation:A 68-year-old male patient presented with symptoms such as pain and numbness in both lower limbs, intermittent claudication when walking, dry stools, and poor urination. The patient has a long-term history of lumbar spine lesions and has undergone surgery for a herniated lumbar disc**. Physical examination reveals loss of physiological curvature of the spine, mild lordosis of the lumbar spine, muscle tension in the lower back, and tenderness between the spinous processes.
Clinical signs:The main symptoms of the patient include pain and numbness in both lower limbs, intermittent claudication when walking, dry stool, and poor urination. The pain is constant and dull and worsens at night. Numbness usually radiates from the buttocks along the back of the thighs to the outside of the calves and the soles of the feet. Intermittent claudication is characterized by weakness and soreness in the lower limbs after walking a certain distance, which needs to be relieved by rest. Dry stools are characterized by difficulty and dryness of the stool. Unfavorable urination is manifested by urinary frequency, urgency, and a feeling of incomplete urination.
Diagnostic process:Based on the patient's clinical symptoms and physical examination, the initial diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome is preliminary. To further clarify**, a lumbar MRI was performed. The results of the examination showed signs such as lumbar spinal stenosis, compression of the dural sac at the corresponding level, posterior herniation of the intervertebral disc**, and abnormal cauda equina nerve, which confirmed the doctor's initial diagnosis.
**Method:According to the patient's condition, the following ** regimen was formulated: drugs** including nutritional neurological drugs and analgesic drugs; Physical**including electrical stimulation and warmth**; Training includes muscle strength training and flexibility training; Lifestyle modifications include maintaining a good sitting, standing, and lying posture and avoiding overexertion.
Prognosis:After comprehensive** and lifestyle adjustments, the patient's condition was relieved to a certain extent. Pain and numbness are markedly reduced, and intermittent claudication episodes are less frequent. Dry stools have improved, and urine has gradually returned to normal. After the follow-up visit, the patient insisted on ** training, and his condition was further stabilized and improved, and the efficacy was stable and the symptoms were slightly improved.
Summary of the conclusions:Cauda equina syndrome is a common neurological disorder. The disease is a clinical syndrome caused by damage to the cauda equina nerve in the spinal canal due to various reasons, and the main symptoms include muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, poor urination, dry stool, limb pain and numbness, ** swelling, abnormal perception, sexual dysfunction, foot drop, etc. During the process, the doctor develops an individualized plan according to the specific situation of the patient. At the same time, patients also need to maintain a positive and optimistic attitude and enhance their confidence. Most patients are able to improve their symptoms and improve their quality of life.