Multiple non-contiguous injuries to the spine.

Over a period of 4 years, 120 patients with an identified neurologic defect secondary to spinal cord injury were admitted to the UCD-Sacramento Medical Center. Of these cases five (4.2 per cent) were found to have multiple non-contiguous injuries to the spine which would have been capable of producing complete neurologic loss at either level. Proper treatment is dependent on diagnosis, and correct diagnosis is dependent on the awareness that multiple non-contiguous injuries to the vertebral column can occur in victims of severe motor vehicle accidents.