SCIWORA is classified as which type of injury?

SCIWORA stands for Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiological Abnormality. This condition refers to instances where a spinal cord injury is present, but standard imaging techniques, such as X-rays, MRI, or CT scans, do not reveal any visible changes or abnormalities in the spinal structure.

The classification under spinal cord contusion aligns with the understanding of SCIWORA, as it often involves damage to the spinal cord tissue without any detectable bone or structural changes. This type of injury can occur in various situations, such as in young athletes or individuals after trauma, where immediate symptoms are observed despite the absence of significant findings on imaging studies.

In contrast, spinal cord fractures involve observable changes in the structure of the vertebrae or surrounding tissues. Complete spinal cord injury implies significant damage leading to a total loss of motor and sensory function below the injury site, which typically presents with clear radiological abnormalities. Hemorrhagic strokes affect the brain rather than the spinal cord and are not part of the SCIWORA classification. Therefore, selecting spinal cord contusion as the type of injury aligns accurately with the nature of SCIWORA.