鍼灸針による脊髄障害の1例

Spinal Cord Stab Injury by Acupuncture Needle:A case report

I．はじめに

　鍼灸針による脊髄損傷はまれながらも，時に折針や置針（伏針）により脊髄内刺入をきたし重篤な脊髄障害を呈することがある．今回われわれは，鍼灸治療中針が折れ脊髄刺創をきたし，排尿障害のみを呈した症例を経験したので文献考察を加えて報告する．

It is very rare for neurosurgeons to encounter cases of spinal cord injury caused by a broken acupuncture needle. A 45-year-old man was referred to our clinic because of urinary retention about two weeks after acupuncture therapy (a needle was broken during treatment). The pa-tient showed no motor weakness, or sensory disturbance. The needle was seen transversely stabbing the spinal cord at C1/2 on CT imaging and X-ray film. In all of the reported seven cases of longitudinal stab injuries (pos-terior puncture), sensorymotor disturbances were present.In transverse stab injuries (lateral puncture), however, two cases did not show motor weakness but sensory dis-turbance. The centrifugal pathway for micturition in the spinal cord lies in the middle one third of the lateral columns and in the width of the central canal. The patient complained of urinary retention because the bilateral descending fibers might have been stabbed by the needle. Surgical treatment relieved the patient from his complaint.