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Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency and etiological spectrum of non-traumatic compressive myelopathy (NTCM) in adult patients presenting with paraplegia or quadriplegia, using MRI findings as the diagnostic standard at a tertiary care center in Pakistan.
METHODOLOGY
This cross-sectional descriptive investigation was executed in the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi. One hundred and fifteen participants were included who had clinically validated cases of paraplegia or quadriplegia, of non-traumatic etiology. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was employed to identify and categorize the etiologies of non-traumatic compressive myelopathy. The data were subjected to analysis utilizing SPSS version 26.0, with statistical significance established at p < 0.05.
RESULTS
A total of 115 patients were evaluated, with a mean age of 45.69 ± 17.06 years. The patient population consisted of 64 males (55.7%) and 51 females (44.3%). Tumors were the most common cause (25.2%), followed by degenerative diseases (15.7%), infections (8.7%), and other pathologies (50.4%). No statistically significant differences were observed between paraplegic and quadriplegic patients in terms of age (p = 0.778), gender (p = 0.464), or etiology (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION
The research emphasizes that non-traumatic compressive myelopathy is characterized by an etiological spectrum in which tumors comprise the most common cause, followed by degenerative and infectious pathology. MRI was imperative to proper diagnosis. There was no significant difference between paraplegic and quadriplegic groups in the etiological distribution, and thus the importance of early imaging and etiological assessment in all patients presenting with non-traumatic spinal cord dysfunction.