Treatment After Cauda Equina Syndrome

If cauda equina syndrome is not diagnosed and treated in the early stages, a patient’s health will be permanently affected. But is there any treatment that can alleviate the long-term symptoms associated with cauda equina syndrome?

Treating CES

Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is when the cauda equina nerves, located at the bottom of the spinal cord, are compressed. The damage caused by compression will reduce function, leading to neurological problems such as:

• Urinary dysfunction
• Bowel dysfunction
• Sexual dysfunction
• Reduced sensation in the genitalia, buttocks and perineum
• Reduced anal tone

Treatment to decompress the nerves must be provided quickly if the condition is to be successfully cured. The only way to achieve this is to decompress the nerves before permanent nerve damage occurs – normally within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

Permanent disability after CES

Unfortunately, not all cases of cauda equina syndrome are treated in time. This may be because a patient does not seek medical attention quickly enough, or it may be because medical practitioners fail to make a timely diagnosis/provide prompt decompression surgery. If the delay is the fault of medical practitioners, there will be grounds for a medical negligence compensation claim.

Should a patient not receive treatment in time, the consequences will be devastating. While cauda equina syndrome will not be fatal, it will lead to debilitating complications that turn a person’s life upside down. These complications include:

• Severe back pain, causing considerable disability in terms of mobility
• Bladder dysfunction, with the inability to control the passing of urine, necessitating self-catheterisation
• Bowel dysfunction, leading to episodes of incontinence
• Sexual dysfunction with the loss of sensation in the genitals

Treatment after CES

These symptoms may improve for up to three years after cauda equina compression occurs. After three years, it is generally accepted that any remaining symptoms will be permanent. However, there are some treatments that may help to alleviate a patient’s condition.

For example, it may be possible to improve bladder management with the use of sacral neuromodulation. For male patients with erectile dysfunction, the options include injecting the penis with prostaglandins to produce an artificial erection, or to have an operation to insert an artificial penile prosthesis (either a semi-rigid or inflatable one). The management of bowel habit could be improved by the use of suppositories, enemas, a Peristeen evacuation system or even an ACE procedure (Antegrade Colonic Evacuation).

If you are suffering from long-term cauda equina complications, you should discuss the treatment options available to you with your GP, as it may be possible to better manage your condition.

Making a claim

If medical practitioners are to blame for your current condition, please get in touch to discuss making a compensation claim.

Please call us free on 0800 234 3300, from a mobile click to call 01275 334030 or complete our Free Online Enquiry for a no cost, no obligation opinion.

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