TY - JOUR
T1 - Autonomic dysreflexia and concurrent Horner’s Syndrome
T2 - a rare presentation in a patient with spinal cord injury
AU - Harsfort, Daniel
AU - Hagen, Ellen Merete
AU - Hansen, Rikke Middelhede
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International Spinal Cord Society.
PY - 2021/5/28
Y1 - 2021/5/28
N2 - Introduction: Autonomic dysreflexia is an uninhibited sympathetic response evoked by a strong sensory input below the level of the injury in patients with spinal cord injury. As presented in this case, autonomic dysreflexia can be associated with unusual symptoms such as Horner’s syndrome. Case presentation: An 18-year-old man with a traumatic spinal cord injury (C7 AIS A) experienced symptoms of unilateral Horner’s syndrome: miosis, ptosis and anhidrosis which occurred simultaneously with symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia: severe headache accompanied by increasing right-sided diaphoresis, flushing, blurred vision, and increased blood pressure. These symptoms were triggered by bladder distention and were resolved after catheterisation. Discussion: The patient experienced a transient Horner’s syndrome due to autonomic dysreflexia. Both Horner’s syndrome and symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia resolved when eliminating the eliciting stimulus, indicating that Horner’s syndrome occurred due to a transient pressure on the sympathetic fibres supplying the superior cervical ganglion. Autonomic dysreflexia may have caused increased pressure disrupting the sympathetic input, thus inducing unilateral miosis, ptosis, and facial anhidrosis.
AB - Introduction: Autonomic dysreflexia is an uninhibited sympathetic response evoked by a strong sensory input below the level of the injury in patients with spinal cord injury. As presented in this case, autonomic dysreflexia can be associated with unusual symptoms such as Horner’s syndrome. Case presentation: An 18-year-old man with a traumatic spinal cord injury (C7 AIS A) experienced symptoms of unilateral Horner’s syndrome: miosis, ptosis and anhidrosis which occurred simultaneously with symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia: severe headache accompanied by increasing right-sided diaphoresis, flushing, blurred vision, and increased blood pressure. These symptoms were triggered by bladder distention and were resolved after catheterisation. Discussion: The patient experienced a transient Horner’s syndrome due to autonomic dysreflexia. Both Horner’s syndrome and symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia resolved when eliminating the eliciting stimulus, indicating that Horner’s syndrome occurred due to a transient pressure on the sympathetic fibres supplying the superior cervical ganglion. Autonomic dysreflexia may have caused increased pressure disrupting the sympathetic input, thus inducing unilateral miosis, ptosis, and facial anhidrosis.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85106912354&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41394-021-00410-9
DO - 10.1038/s41394-021-00410-9
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 34050128
AN - SCOPUS:85106912354
SN - 2058-6124
VL - 7
JO - Spinal Cord Series and Cases
JF - Spinal Cord Series and Cases
IS - 1
M1 - 47
ER -