Tips for post-operative review of spinal cord embolism syndrome

  For patients with spinal cord embolism, surgery to release the stretched spinal cord is only the first step of treatment; post-operative functional recovery requires standardized review and follow-up.  After the first surgery, a review is usually performed once every 3-6 months, and then every 1-2 years for 3-5 years depending on the situation.  Each review requires an MRI scan of the embolization site, and if urinary dysfunction still exists, bladder ultrasound, urodynamics, and renal ultrasound are needed to assess the degree of urinary dysfunction and the extent of kidney damage. However, the urologist should be consulted for the exact necessity of the tests. After all, patients have to go to urology for postoperative urinary and bowel dysfunction, and orthopedics for lower limb walking difficulties or even deformities.  It is advisable for patients to seek review and follow-up with the surgeon, who, after all, knows the condition best. If the patient is out of town, in order to avoid the travel back and forth, the patient can have a review at a local hospital (with higher requirements for MRI) and then upload the film to the website to consult with the surgeon or bring it to the surgeon, which is very necessary for long-term treatment and recovery.  In addition to medical records, it is important to bring both preoperative and postoperative films for the surgeon to compare and reference, so that he or she can assess the results of the surgery and recovery.  Due to the large number of patients, the clinic is often only a few minutes long, but the doctor has to spend a lot of time just to find the film he wants from one or twenty films, which leads to a shorter communication time between the patient and the doctor. It is recommended that patients or family members prepare in advance by organizing the films in chronological order and putting a small label in the upper right corner to mark the time of the film (be careful not to obscure the information on the film). This will improve the efficiency of the visit and prevent patients from running back and forth due to missed films.