AUTHOR=Dhaliwal Perry , Gomez Alwyn , Zeiler Frederick Adam 

TITLE=Case report: Continuous spinal cord physiologic monitoring following traumatic spinal cord injury—A report from the Winnipeg Intraspinal Pressure Study (WISP)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1069623

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2023.1069623

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Introduction: Acute traumatic spinal cord injury is managed by surgical decompression and instrumentation of the spine.  There is considerable interest in measuring spinal cord perfusion pressure by monitoring mean arterial pressure and intraspinal pressure.  Here, we present our first institutional experience of using a strain gauge pressure monitor to measure intraspinal pressure and subsequent derivation of spinal cord perfusion pressure.
Case Presentation: The patient presented to medical attention after a fall off of scaffolding.  A trauma assessment was completed at a local emergency room.  He did not have any motor strength or sensation to the lower extremities. A CT scan of the thoracolumbar spine confirmed a T12 burst fracture with retropulsion of bone fragments into the spinal canal.  He was taken to surgery for urgent decompression of the spinal cord and instrumentation of the spine.  A subdural strain gauge pressure monitor was placed at the site of injury through a small dural incision.  Mean arterial pressure and intraspinal pressure were then monitored for 5 days after surgery.  Spinal cord perfusion pressure was derived.  
Conclusion: The first North American attempt at insertion of a strain gauge pressure monitor into the subdural space at the site of injury following acute traumatic spinal cord injury was performed successfully and without complication.  Spinal cord perfusion pressure was derived successfully. Further research efforts to validate this technique are required.