The Correlation Between the Clinical Presentation and the Radiological Appearance in Patients with Myelitis at Alshaab Teaching Hospital-Sudan

Abstract

Acute transverse myelitis is the leading cause of non-compressive myelopathy, linking the clinical presentation with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) may aid in proper stratification of patients improving management, we aimed to study the correlation between the clinical presentation of acute transverse myelitis with MRI findings. This cohort, hospitalbased study conducted at Alshaab Teaching Hospital, Sudan among patients with acute transverse myelitis, Participants signed a written informed consent then the clinical presentation was recorded and followed including symmetry and extent of the lesion, site of lesion, sensory involvement. Correlation between various clinical presentations and MRI findings was done. The ethical committee of Alshaab Teaching Hospital approved the research, and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used for data analysis. Out of 100 patients infections was observed in 25%, and autoimmunity in 8%, involvement of more than three segments of the spinal cord was commoner among patients with symmetrical and complete presentation, no significant difference was evident between patients with symmetrical and complete presentation, compared to partial asymmetrical presentation regarding the site of spinal cord involvement on MRI. Complete and symmetrical presentation are commonly associated with more than three segments involvement of the spinal cord, no significant difference was found between complete symmetrical presentation and partial asymmetrical presentation regarding the site of involvement on MRI.