Parapleji ve Acil Yaklaşım

Paraplegia is not a disease in itself, but a common clinical outcome phenotype of many different pathologies, characterized by complete or near-complete loss of voluntary motor function in both lower extremities. This condition is a complex neurological syndrome encompassing not only leg weakness but also sensory, autonomic, bladder-bowel control, and sexual dysfunction. Acute paraplegia should be considered a spinal cord or cauda equina emergency until proven otherwise and should be evaluated with contrast-enhanced spinal MRI, the gold standard diagnostic method. The treatment approach depends on the etiology (traumatic, compressive, inflammatory, vascular, etc.) and time, aiming to prevent secondary damage and manage complications (autonomic dysreflexia, pressure ulcers, venous thromboembolism).