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ENDOVASCULAR NEUROSURGERY Tetraplegia Tetraplegia or Quadriplegia is a neurological condition characterized by the loss of ability to move both arms and both legs. It can have various causes. The most common one is injury at the level of the cervical spine which contains the nerves responsible for the motion of the extremities. Other less frequent causes are compression of the cervical spinal cord by tumors or arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), hemorrhage in or around the spinal cord and finally degenerative diseases. Tetraplegia can have a very severe form when the injury is located at the higher cervical spinal cord because the patients usually lose the ability to breathe spontaneously as well. Most of these patients require a tracheotomy and artificially assisted ventilation and their condition is complicated very soon by infections. It is a very hard task for any hospital to keep these patients alive for long. A milder form of Tetraplegia can occur following an injury to the lower cervical spine so that the nerves responsible for the respiration and the motion of the arms are relatively but not completely spared. The patient can breathe almost normally and some degree of strength is preserved in the arms. A complete tetraplegia can never improve. Tetraparesis, which is an incomplete loss of strength in the arms and legs can sometimes improve with time and physiotherapy. The longer a pressure on the spinal cord has remained untreated, the less probable is the recovery. Therefore, masses like tumors or AVMs of the spine causing neurological symptoms should be treated as soon as possible when discovered. Menu Page Diseases Page Home Page Page maintained by: Vasilis Katsaridis, MD