Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026

A Contusive Model of Unilateral Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Using the Infinite Horizon Impactor
Published on: July 24, 2012
Spinal cord contusion and paraplegia resulting from indirect gunshot injury
Chen-Wei Wu1, Chien-Chin Hsu2, Kuo-Tai Chen3
1Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Abstract:
Emergency physicians may overlook spinal cord injury in patients when the direct impact of a gunshot on the spine is lacking. A 30-year-old man who was shot on his right chest wall was brought to the emergency department. He arrived in a state of shock and underwent emergent thoracotomy for massive hemothorax. After surgery, he was found to be paraplegic. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine showed T4 spinal cord contusion. The penetrating bullet dissipates energy to the surrounding tissue and contuses the spinal cord. Another assumption of the spinal cord injury is the impairment of blood supply to the cord. No effective treatment exists for gunshot-related indirect injury to the spinal cord. These reported cases reminded emergency physicians that after stabilization of the patient with a gunshot wound, a complete neurologic examination should be performed to discover occult spinal cord injury.
Related Concept Videos
Hemorrhagic Stroke ll: Pathophysiology
Traumatic Brain Injury l: Introduction
Spinal Cord Injury ll: Pathophysiology
Herniated Intervertebral Disc l: Introduction
Secondary Spinal Cord Injury llI: Pathophysiology

