Possible reasons for this neurological deterioration can be secondary damages of the nervous tissue due to vascular, metabolic or biochemical mechanisms, transportation trauma or insufficient preclinical diagnostics. There is no evidence for a higher risk of secondary tissue damage for patients with cervical spinal cord injury. None of the six patients had additional injuries of the spinal cord or the vertebral column in the thoracic region, therefore transportation trauma is also unlikely. It is more likely that preclinical diagnoses were incorrect, what could have been avoided by consequent sensory and motor testing at the upper extremities.
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