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If a patient suffers from anterior cord syndrome, what symptoms would you expect to appreciate in this patient?

User Conqueror
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Final answer:

Anterior cord syndrome typically results in motor weakness or paralysis and loss of pain and temperature sensation below the level of the injury, due to damage to the anterior spinal artery affecting the anterior two-thirds of the spinal cord.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a patient suffers from anterior cord syndrome, you would expect to see a range of motor and sensory deficits. Since the anterior spinal artery supplies the anterior two-thirds of the spinal cord, including the anterior corticospinal tracts, patients with this condition typically experience significant motor weakness or paralysis below the level of the injury. Additionally, they may exhibit loss of pain and temperature sensation, since these sensory pathways also travel through the anterior part of the spinal cord. However, tactile and proprioceptive sensations are often preserved because these pathways are located in the posterior part of the spinal cord and are not affected by the syndrome. Given the neurological findings, such as difficulty walking in correlation with motor deficits and even muscle stiffness, we can infer a high level of suspicion for spinal cord damage.