Three unusual cases of spinal cord injury in childhood

Three cases of unusual traumatic spinal cord injuries are reported. The cases were referred to the neurosurgical unit of Nancy, one tetraplegia and one paraplegia caused by transfixing wounds which were overlooked after the injury. The transfixing wound caused an associated meningitis with tetraplegia, and in the second case the initial small plural effusion associated with paraplegia even, in a very short while, evoked a possible diagnosis of leukaemia amongst others, until the knowledge of trauma had been ascertained, the child being then immediately transferred to the neurosurgical unit. Spanking, in the last case, was the cause of an important luxation of T12-L1, at first with a complete paraplegia, and was associated with the fact that the child was only seen a few days after by a doctor and immediately referred. The child made a full recovery from his paraplegia.