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Cauda equina syndrome

MedGen UID:
98229
•Concept ID:
C0392548
•
Disease or Syndrome
Synonyms: Cauda Equina Syndrome; Cauda Equina Syndromes
SNOMED CT: Cauda equina syndrome (192970008)
 
Monarch Initiative: MONDO:0005693

Definition

A rare neurologic disorder caused by impingement of the nerve roots of the cauda equina secondary to disc herniation, spinal stenosis, vertebral fracture, neoplasm or infection. Clinical signs may include bladder or bowel dysfunction, paresthesia and weakness of the lower extremities. The clinical course rapidly deteriorates and necessitates emergent surgical decompression to minimize risk of incontinence, sexual dysfunction and permanent paralysis. [from NCI]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • CROGVCauda equina syndrome

Professional guidelines

PubMed

The adult with low back pain: causes, diagnosis, imaging features and management.
Kabeer AS, Osmani HT, Patel J, Robinson P, Ahmed N
Br J Hosp Med (Lond) 2023 Oct 2;84(10):1-9. Epub 2023 Oct 25 doi: 10.12968/hmed.2023.0063. PMID: 37906065
Lumbar Disc Herniation: Diagnosis and Management.
Zhang AS, Xu A, Ansari K, Hardacker K, Anderson G, Alsoof D, Daniels AH
Am J Med 2023 Jul;136(7):645-651. Epub 2023 Apr 17 doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2023.03.024. PMID: 37072094
Muscle Weakness in Adults: Evaluation and Differential Diagnosis.
Larson ST, Wilbur J
Am Fam Physician 2020 Jan 15;101(2):95-108. PMID: 31939642

Curated

UK NICE Clinical guideline (CG148), Urinary incontinence in neurological disease: assessment and management, 2023

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Cauda equina syndrome.
Miller J, West J, Khawar H, Middleton R
Br J Hosp Med (Lond) 2023 Dec 5;84(11):1-7. doi: 10.12968/hmed.2023.0012. PMID: 38186331
Evaluation and Management of Cauda Equina Syndrome.
Kuris EO, McDonald CL, Palumbo MA, Daniels AH
Am J Med 2021 Dec;134(12):1483-1489. Epub 2021 Aug 30 doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.07.021. PMID: 34473966
Manipulative Therapies: What Works.
Smith MS, Olivas J, Smith K
Am Fam Physician 2019 Feb 15;99(4):248-252. PMID: 30763049
Diagnostic triage for low back pain: a practical approach for primary care.
Bardin LD, King P, Maher CG
Med J Aust 2017 Apr 3;206(6):268-273. doi: 10.5694/mja16.00828. PMID: 28359011
Low back pain.
Golob AL, Wipf JE
Med Clin North Am 2014 May;98(3):405-28. Epub 2014 Mar 22 doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2014.01.003. PMID: 24758954

Diagnosis

The adult with low back pain: causes, diagnosis, imaging features and management.
Kabeer AS, Osmani HT, Patel J, Robinson P, Ahmed N
Br J Hosp Med (Lond) 2023 Oct 2;84(10):1-9. Epub 2023 Oct 25 doi: 10.12968/hmed.2023.0063. PMID: 37906065
Lumbar Disc Herniation: Diagnosis and Management.
Zhang AS, Xu A, Ansari K, Hardacker K, Anderson G, Alsoof D, Daniels AH
Am J Med 2023 Jul;136(7):645-651. Epub 2023 Apr 17 doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2023.03.024. PMID: 37072094
Cauda Equina Syndrome.
Bulloch L, Thompson K, Spector L
Orthop Clin North Am 2022 Apr;53(2):247-254. Epub 2022 Mar 8 doi: 10.1016/j.ocl.2021.11.010. PMID: 35365269
Evaluation and Management of Cauda Equina Syndrome.
Kuris EO, McDonald CL, Palumbo MA, Daniels AH
Am J Med 2021 Dec;134(12):1483-1489. Epub 2021 Aug 30 doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.07.021. PMID: 34473966
Cauda equina syndrome.
Barraclough K
BMJ 2021 Jan 12;372:n32. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n32. PMID: 33436390

Therapy

Cauda equina syndrome.
Barraclough K
BMJ 2021 Jan 12;372:n32. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n32. PMID: 33436390
Carcinocythemia-Cancer cell leukemia.
Jain P, Wang XI
Am J Hematol 2021 Mar 1;96(3):397-398. Epub 2020 Jul 14 doi: 10.1002/ajh.25902. PMID: 32520403
Manipulative Therapies: What Works.
Smith MS, Olivas J, Smith K
Am Fam Physician 2019 Feb 15;99(4):248-252. PMID: 30763049
Mechanical Low Back Pain.
Will JS, Bury DC, Miller JA
Am Fam Physician 2018 Oct 1;98(7):421-428. PMID: 30252425
Evaluation and treatment of acute low back pain.
Kinkade S
Am Fam Physician 2007 Apr 15;75(8):1181-8. PMID: 17477101

Prognosis

Cauda Equina Syndrome.
Bulloch L, Thompson K, Spector L
Orthop Clin North Am 2022 Apr;53(2):247-254. Epub 2022 Mar 8 doi: 10.1016/j.ocl.2021.11.010. PMID: 35365269
Cauda equina syndrome-a practical guide to definition and classification.
Lavy C, Marks P, Dangas K, Todd N
Int Orthop 2022 Feb;46(2):165-169. Epub 2021 Dec 4 doi: 10.1007/s00264-021-05273-1. PMID: 34862914Free PMC Article
Cauda equina syndrome.
Barraclough K
BMJ 2021 Jan 12;372:n32. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n32. PMID: 33436390
Mechanical Low Back Pain.
Will JS, Bury DC, Miller JA
Am Fam Physician 2018 Oct 1;98(7):421-428. PMID: 30252425
Low back pain.
Golob AL, Wipf JE
Med Clin North Am 2014 May;98(3):405-28. Epub 2014 Mar 22 doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2014.01.003. PMID: 24758954

Clinical prediction guides

Lumbar Disc Herniation—the Significance of Symptom Duration for the Indication for Surgery.
Kögl N, Petr O, Löscher W, Liljenqvist U, Thomé C
Dtsch Arztebl Int 2024 Jun 28;121(13):440-448. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.m2024.0074. PMID: 38835174Free PMC Article
Cauda equina syndrome.
Hoeritzauer I, Paterson M, Jamjoom AAB, Srikandarajah N, Soleiman H, Poon MTC, Copley PC, Graves C, MacKay S, Duong C, Leung AHC, Eames N, Statham PFX, Darwish S, Sell PJ, Thorpe P, Shekhar H, Roy H, Woodfield J; Understanding Cauda Equina Syndrome (UCES) Study Collaborators, and the British Neurosurgical Trainee Research Collaborative
Bone Joint J 2023 Sep 1;105-B(9):1007-1012. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.105B9.BJJ-2022-1343.R1. PMID: 37652459
Cauda Equina Syndrome.
Bulloch L, Thompson K, Spector L
Orthop Clin North Am 2022 Apr;53(2):247-254. Epub 2022 Mar 8 doi: 10.1016/j.ocl.2021.11.010. PMID: 35365269
Conservative Treatment for Giant Lumbar Disc Herniation: Clinical Study in 409 Cases.
Ma Z, Yu P, Jiang H, Li X, Qian X, Yu Z, Zhu Y, Liu J
Pain Physician 2021 Aug;24(5):E639-E648. PMID: 34323452
Red flags presented in current low back pain guidelines: a review.
Verhagen AP, Downie A, Popal N, Maher C, Koes BW
Eur Spine J 2016 Sep;25(9):2788-802. Epub 2016 Jul 4 doi: 10.1007/s00586-016-4684-0. PMID: 27376890

Recent systematic reviews

Lumbar Disc Herniation and Cauda Equina Syndrome During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review.
Hussein A, Quiceno E, Pacheco-Barrios N, Dholaria N, Pico A, Barbagli G, Kelbert J, Soto-Rubio DT, Alhalal IA, Al-Arfaj AK, Prim M, Baaj AA
Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2024 Nov 26;166(1):479. doi: 10.1007/s00701-024-06377-4. PMID: 39592477
Definition and surgical timing in cauda equina syndrome-An updated systematic review.
Mustafa MA, Richardson GE, Gillespie CS, Islim AI, Wilby M, Clark S, Srikandarajah N
PLoS One 2023;18(5):e0285006. Epub 2023 May 4 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285006. PMID: 37141301Free PMC Article
Intradural Cauda Equina Metastases: A Systematic Review of Clinico-radiological Features, Management, and Treatment Outcomes.
Palmisciano P, Zaidi SE, Shlobin NA, Sagoo NS, Bin Alamer O, Scalia G, Ferini G, Umana GE, Aoun SG, Haider AS
Anticancer Res 2022 Apr;42(4):1661-1669. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.15643. PMID: 35346985
Low Back Pain in the Emergency Department: Prevalence of Serious Spinal Pathologies and Diagnostic Accuracy of Red Flags.
Galliker G, Scherer DE, Trippolini MA, Rasmussen-Barr E, LoMartire R, Wertli MM
Am J Med 2020 Jan;133(1):60-72.e14. Epub 2019 Jul 3 doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2019.06.005. PMID: 31278933
Update on the Management of Sacral Metastases.
Mika A, Mesfin A
JBJS Rev 2018 Jul;6(7):e8. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.RVW.17.00130. PMID: 30044246

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      See practice and clinical guidelines in NCBI Bookshelf. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.

    Curated

    • NICE, 2023
      UK NICE Clinical guideline (CG148), Urinary incontinence in neurological disease: assessment and management, 2023

    Reviews

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    • PMC Articles
      Related information in PubMed Central Links
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      Related literature resources in PubMed

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