tm

David C. Jones (jonesd(AT)rest.com)
Fri, 11 Oct 1996 01:38:51 -0700

Dear group. I am in a wheel chair. Have been sence 86. I was
diagnosed with ATM at the Santa Clara Vally hospital an affiliate of
Stanford medical hospital and school. This in no way makes me an expert
in Transverse Myelopathy but it does allow me excersise conjecture
concerning TM. I have seen or conversed with 24 doctors as to why I am
in a wheel chair and none can say. Transverse Myelopathy/Myelitis, other
than an MRI exam has no other pathology, other than the onset. I
will now recite fome a paper titled "The Prognosis of Acute and Subacute
Transverse Myelopathy Based on Early Signs and Symptoms". This study
suggests that three distinct types of onset occur in TM. The largest
group have ascending paresthesias at the onset, usually with a coures
that evolves over one to fourteen days. The outcome is usually good or
fair in this group. Another group has pain at onset, usually in the
back, which comes on suddenly and evolves over several hours; this group
tends to have a poor prognosis. In a smaller, third group the syndrome
evolves over ten days to four weeks in a stuttering course. The illness
seems to stabilize, and then suddenly a new symptom appears. All the
major symptoms of TM are represented within this group. The prognosis
tends to be the same as in the gradually progressive group,i.e., most
have a good or fair outcome. The overall good or fair porgnosis, low
incidence of multiple sclerosis, and large number of patients with
venous thromboembolic complications are emphasized..
You maybe able to get a copy of this paper from the Neurology
Service, Massachusette General Hospital, Fruit St, Boston, MA 02114.
But I wouldn't count on it sence it is close to twenty years from first
printing. It does have a number of references dateing back to 1926. My
copy has been copy degradated but I would be willing to fax a copy to
the TMIC-list for distribution. DCJones P.S- In regards to my
statement about pathology. As I understand it an MRI nor spinal tap are
definitve of TM as is onset.