5-Minute Emergency Consult
Cauda Equina Syndrome
Cauda Equina Syndrome is a topic covered in the 5-Minute Emergency Consult.
To view the entire topic, please log in or purchase a subscription.
Emergency Central is a collection of disease, drug, and test information including 5-Minute Emergency Medicine Consult, Davis’s Drug, McGraw-Hill Medical’s Diagnosaurus®, Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, and MEDLINE Journals created for emergency medicine professionals. Explore these free sample topics:
-- The first section of this topic is shown below --
Basics
Description
Compression of lumbar and sacral nerve fibers in cauda equina region:Description
- Nerve fibers below conus medullaris
- Fibers end at L1–L2 interspace
Risk Factors
Risk Factors
- Neoplasm
- IV drug use
- Immunocompromised state
- Trauma
Etiology
Etiology
- Herniated disc most common:
- L4–L5 discs > L5–S1 > L3–L4
- Most common in fourth and fifth decades of life
- Mass effect from:
- Myeloma, lymphoma, sarcoma, meningioma, neurofibroma, hematoma
- Spine metastases (breast, lung, prostate, thyroid, renal)
- Epidural abscess (especially in IV drug users)
- Blunt trauma
- Penetrating trauma
- Spinal anesthesia
- Other rare causes:
- Congenital anomalies, multiple sclerosis, spinal AVMs, neurosarcoidosis, IVC thrombosis
-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please log in or purchase a subscription --
Basics
Description
Compression of lumbar and sacral nerve fibers in cauda equina region:Description
- Nerve fibers below conus medullaris
- Fibers end at L1–L2 interspace
Risk Factors
Risk Factors
- Neoplasm
- IV drug use
- Immunocompromised state
- Trauma
Etiology
Etiology
- Herniated disc most common:
- L4–L5 discs > L5–S1 > L3–L4
- Most common in fourth and fifth decades of life
- Mass effect from:
- Myeloma, lymphoma, sarcoma, meningioma, neurofibroma, hematoma
- Spine metastases (breast, lung, prostate, thyroid, renal)
- Epidural abscess (especially in IV drug users)
- Blunt trauma
- Penetrating trauma
- Spinal anesthesia
- Other rare causes:
- Congenital anomalies, multiple sclerosis, spinal AVMs, neurosarcoidosis, IVC thrombosis
There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.
Citation
Schaider, Jeffrey J., et al., editors. "Cauda Equina Syndrome." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 5th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2016. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307362/all/Cauda_Equina_Syndrome.
Cauda Equina Syndrome. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2016. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307362/all/Cauda_Equina_Syndrome. Accessed March 24, 2023.
Cauda Equina Syndrome. (2016). In Schaider, J. J., Barkin, R. M., Hayden, S. R., Wolfe, R. E., Barkin, A. Z., Shayne, P., & Rosen, P. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult (5th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307362/all/Cauda_Equina_Syndrome
Cauda Equina Syndrome [Internet]. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, Wolfe RER, Barkin AZA, Shayne PP, Rosen PP, editors. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2016. [cited 2023 March 24]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307362/all/Cauda_Equina_Syndrome.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Cauda Equina Syndrome
ID - 307362
ED - Barkin,Adam Z,
ED - Shayne,Philip,
ED - Rosen,Peter,
ED - Schaider,Jeffrey J,
ED - Barkin,Roger M,
ED - Hayden,Stephen R,
ED - Wolfe,Richard E,
BT - 5-Minute Emergency Consult
UR - https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307362/all/Cauda_Equina_Syndrome
PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
ET - 5
DB - Emergency Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -
