Which statement best describes the mechanism of secondary spinal cord injury?

Which statement best describes the mechanism of secondary spinal cord injury?

• A. Direct mechanical damage at the initial injury
• B. Progressive swelling after initial insult
• C. Injury due to infection
• D. Degenerative nerve disease

Answer: (B)

Secondary spinal cord injury is the cascade of vascular, cellular, and inflammatory processes that follow the initial trauma, with swelling driving much of the progression. After the primary injury, edema within and around the cord increases intraspinal pressure, reduces capillary perfusion, and worsens ischemia, leading to more neuronal death. This progressive swelling best captures the mechanism, whereas direct mechanical damage is the initial insult, and infection or degenerative disease are not the acute drivers of this secondary cascade.

Secondary spinal cord injury is the cascade of vascular, cellular, and inflammatory processes that follow the initial trauma, with swelling driving much of the progression. After the primary injury, edema within and around the cord increases intraspinal pressure, reduces capillary perfusion, and worsens ischemia, leading to more neuronal death. This progressive swelling best captures the mechanism, whereas direct mechanical damage is the initial insult, and infection or degenerative disease are not the acute drivers of this secondary cascade.