{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,31]],"date-time":"2026-10-31T21:21:14Z","timestamp":1793481674886,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,9]],"date-time":"2021-08-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1628467200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Neurol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Introduction:<\/jats:bold>\n                    Diagnosing non-traumatic spinal cord injury (NTSCI) is often challenging. However, clear discrimination from non-spinal pathologies, e.g., \u201cmyelopathy-mimics\u201d (MMs), is critical in preventing long-term disability and death. In this retrospective study we (1) investigated causes of NTSCI, (2) identified clinical markers associated with NTSCI and (3) discuss implications for NTSCI management.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Methods:<\/jats:bold>\n                    Our sample consisted of 5.913 consecutive neurological and neurosurgical patients who were treated in our emergency department during a one-year period. Patients with a new or worsened bilateral sensorimotor deficit were defined as possible NTSCI. We then compared clinical and imaging findings and allocated patients into NTSCIs and MMs.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Results:<\/jats:bold>\n                    Of ninety-three included cases, thirty-six (38.7%) were diagnosed with NTSCI. Fifty-two patients (55.9%) were classified as MMs. In five patients (5.4%) the underlying pathology remained unclear. Predominant causes of NTSCI were spinal metastases (33.3%), inflammatory disorders (22.2%) and degenerative pathologies (19.4%). 58.6% of NTSCI patients required emergency treatment. Presence of a sensory level (\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    = &amp;lt;0.001) and sphincter dysfunction (\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    = 0.02) were the only significant discriminators between NTSCI and MMs.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Conclusion:<\/jats:bold>\n                    In our study, one-third of patients presenting with a new bilateral sensorimotor deficit had NTSCI. Of these, the majority required emergency treatment. Since there is a significant clinical overlap with non-spinal disorders, a standardized diagnostic work-up including routine spinal MRI is recommended for NTSCI management, rather than an approach that is mainly based on clinical findings.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fneur.2021.701927","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,9]],"date-time":"2021-08-09T00:20:18Z","timestamp":1628468418000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":62,"title":["Clinical Presentation and Causes of Non-traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: An Observational Study in Emergency Patients"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Leonie","family":"M\u00fcller-Jensen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christoph 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