Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound in the Treatment of Acute Spinal Cord Injury

Patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) often suffer from spinal cord swelling inside the thecal sac, which contains the spinal cord and surrounding fluid, leading to increased pressure on the spinal cord tissue and decreased spinal cord blood flow at the site of injury. The combination of increased pressure and decreased blood flow causes vascular hypoperfusion of the spinal cord and exacerbates the severity of injury. This is also referred to as secondary injury. Thus, knowledge of spinal cord hypoperfusion would allow the treating physician to optimize the hemodynamic condition of the patient with acute spinal cord injury and potentially improve functional outcomes.