Whilst Cauda Equina Syndrome is a relatively uncommon medical problem, its consequences can be devastating for the sufferer and leave him or her with lifelong problems if it is not diagnosed and treated quickly.
What is the Cauda Equina?
The spine is made up of cervical (neck), thoracic (mid back) and lumbar (lower back) vertebrae. The spinal cord tapers to a cone shaped end near to the first of the lumbar vertebra. This cone shaped end is known, not surprisingly, as the conus. Close to the conus is a bundle of nerve roots known as the Cauda Equina.
What is Cauda Equina Syndrome?
Cauda Equina Syndrome occurs when the nerve roots that make up the cauda equine are simultaneously compressed (for example, by a prolapsed disc in the spine).
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of Cauda Equina Syndrome include poor urinary flow; loss of sensation that one’s bladder is full; an inability to empty one’s bladder properly; numbness in the ‘saddle area’ (perineum) between one’s legs and numbness in the buttocks.
By the time that the sufferer of Cauda Equina Syndrome is at the stage where he/she is unable to empty their bladder and/or is completely constipated, it is estimated that he/she only has 48 hours to undergo spinal surgery to release the compression referred to above. After that it is likely that there will be irreversible nerve damage that, in the most severe cases, can leave the sufferer paralysed from the waist down. In fact, decompression surgery within the first 24 hours of these symptoms developing has been shown to be more beneficial than surgery in the 24-48 hour period, so time really is of the essence.
Our Medical Negligence team at Ince Metcalfes is experienced in handling claims for sufferers of Cauda Equina Syndrome whose symptoms would have been much less serious or avoided altogether but for the failure of the client’s doctors to diagnose and treat this condition as quickly as it ought to have been.
What should happen?
If a GP, for example, were presented with a patient displaying symptoms of Cauda Equina Syndrome, he or she ought to pick up the telephone and speak with a member of the local hospital’s orthopaedic team and thereafter arrange a MRI scan of their patient’s lower back as a matter of urgency. By “urgency” we mean immediately. Once the scan has confirmed the compression of the cauda equina, surgery should follow within a few hours.
If you or someone you know is suffering from the effects of Cauda Equina Syndrome as a result of delayed diagnosis and/or treatment then contact us today for a free, no obligation consultation.
