Hemisection of the spinal cord results in a contralateral loss of pain and thermal sensation due to spinothalamic damage, and ipsilateral loss of proprioception due to posterior column damage.
There is also an ipsilateral motor paralysis due to destruction of the corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts as well as motor neurons.
Complete transection of the spinal cord would cause a bilateral spastic paralysis, and there would be no conscious appreciation of any cutaneous or deep sensation in the area below the transection.
Posterior column syndrome would result in a bilateral loss of proprioception below the lesion, with relative preservation of pain and temperature sensation.
Syringomyelic syndrome results from a lesion of the central gray matter. Pain and temperature fibers that cross at the anterior commissure are affected, which may result in bilateral loss of these sensations over several dermatomes. However, tactile sensation is spared. The most common cause of this type of syndrome is syringomyelia. Trauma, hemorrhage, or tumors are other possible etiologies. If the lesion becomes large enough, then other spinal cord systems become affected as well.
Tabetic syndrome results from damage to proprioceptive and other dorsal root fibers. It is classically caused by syphilis. Symptoms include paresthesias, pain, and abnormalities of gait. Vibration sense is most affected.
Initially he had a bilateral spastic paraparesis and urinary urgency, but this has improved. He still has pain and thermal sensation loss on part of his left body and proprioception loss in his right foot. There is still a paralysis of the right lower extremity as well. The patient had Brown-Séquard (hemisection) syndrome .
