Which statement about Brown-Sequard syndrome is true?

Which statement about Brown-Sequard syndrome is true?

• A. Ipsilateral motor loss and loss of proprioception with contralateral loss of pain and temperature
• B. Ipsilateral motor loss with preserved proprioception
• C. Bilateral loss of motor function
• D. Contralateral loss of proprioception

Answer: (A)

Brown-Sequard syndrome comes from a hemisection of the spinal cord and shows a distinctive, side-by-side pattern of deficits. On the same side as the injury, the motor pathways are affected, causing weakness or paralysis, and the dorsal column pathways are disrupted, causing loss of proprioception (and vibration) below the lesion. On the opposite side, the pain and temperature fibers that have crossed to the opposite side are disrupted, producing contralateral loss of pain and temperature below the level of the lesion. So the description of ipsilateral motor loss and proprioceptive loss with contralateral loss of pain and temperature matches this pattern. If the lesion were on the left, you’d expect left-sided weakness and proprioceptive loss with right-sided pain/temperature loss. The other patterns (bilateral motor loss, or proprioception loss on the opposite side, or preserved proprioception with motor loss) don’t fit this syndrome.

Brown-Sequard syndrome comes from a hemisection of the spinal cord and shows a distinctive, side-by-side pattern of deficits. On the same side as the injury, the motor pathways are affected, causing weakness or paralysis, and the dorsal column pathways are disrupted, causing loss of proprioception (and vibration) below the lesion. On the opposite side, the pain and temperature fibers that have crossed to the opposite side are disrupted, producing contralateral loss of pain and temperature below the level of the lesion. So the description of ipsilateral motor loss and proprioceptive loss with contralateral loss of pain and temperature matches this pattern. If the lesion were on the left, you’d expect left-sided weakness and proprioceptive loss with right-sided pain/temperature loss. The other patterns (bilateral motor loss, or proprioception loss on the opposite side, or preserved proprioception with motor loss) don’t fit this syndrome.