Overview
Electric shock injury is more common, electric shock damage in addition to the direct cause of local burns, visceral damage, cardiac arrest, in the nervous system can cause brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerve damage, can also cause neurological dysfunction. Spinal cord disease caused by electric shock injury is mostly seen in contact with high-voltage current, and in a few cases, spinal cord injury is caused by accidentally touching the power supply of household electricity.
Causes
Spinal cord electrocution can occur after exposure to 75 to 75,000 volts. When the electric shock, the heartbeat may stop suddenly, resulting in the suspension of blood circulation and causing a lack of oxygen. If death is not prevented at that time, most of the remaining extensive brain and spinal cord symptoms, spinal cord damage can be due to direct neuronal injury, or due to the occurrence of blood clots in the blood vessels supplying the spinal cord.
Symptoms
The clinical manifestations of electroshock myelopathy coexist with other systemic manifestations of electroshock injury and may be temporary or permanent, and the course of the disease is often nonprogressive. Temporary symptoms, most often appear immediately after the shock and recover within a few days. Commonly, there are consciousness disorders, limb weakness, autonomic dysfunction (excessive sweating, panic, urinary and fecal disorders), and sensory disturbances. Permanent symptoms and signs can occur days to months after the electric shock, common upper limb weakness and muscle atrophy, spastic paralysis of the lower limbs, sensory symptoms are generally mild, there may be urinary and fecal disorders. Sometimes these symptoms develop in an ascending manner and may be related to degenerative changes in the nerve bundles or secondary edema and demyelinating lesions.
Examination
1. Cerebrospinal fluid examination shows clear spinal canal, normal pressure, normal or mildly elevated protein, mildly elevated cell count or normal chloride.
2. Other blood tests include liver function, kidney function, blood glucose, blood sedimentation routine examination; rheumatism series immunoglobulin electrophoresis and other autoimmune-related serological tests have differential diagnostic significance.
3. CT and MRI of spinal cord have differential diagnostic value.
4. Electromyography and neurophysiologic examination have auxiliary diagnostic significance.
Diagnosis
This disease can be considered if there is a history of electric shock and manifestations of spinal cord lesions.
Differential diagnosis
Care should be taken to differentiate the disease from other spinal cord lesions, especially those that may have existed before the electric shock injury and caused damage to the spinal cord, such as spinal cord cavernous disease, spinal cord tumors, spinal cord compression disease.
Treatment
1. Symptomatic treatment for patients with electric shock injury.
2. Treatment with vitamin B1, vitamin B12, and drugs to promote nerve cell metabolism.
3. Physiotherapy, acupuncture and general nursing care are also extremely important to prevent complications such as pressure sores and cystitis.
Prognosis
The course of the disease will not progress, but it is also difficult for neurons damaged by severe electric shock to regain function.