The diarrhea-causing bacteria Campylobacter jejuni is also a reported cause of transverse myelitis.Other associated causes include the helminth infection schistosomiasis, spinal cord injuries, vascular disorders that impede the blood flow through vessels of the spinal cord, and paraneoplastic syndrome. Pathophysiology
This progressive loss of the fatty myelin sheath surrounding the nerves in the affected spinal cord occurs for unclear reasons following infections or due to multiple sclerosis. Infections may cause TM through direct tissue damage or by immune-mediated infection-triggered tissue damage. The lesions present are usually inflammatory. Spinal cord involvement is usually central, uniform, and symmetric in comparison to multiple sclerosis which typically affects the cord in a patchy way and the lesions are usually peripheral. The lesions in acute TM are mostly limited to the spinal cord with no involvement of other structures in the central nervous system. Longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis
A proposed special clinical presentation is the "longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis" (LETM), which is defined as a TM with a spinal cord lesion that extends over three or more vertebral segments. The causes of LETM are also heterogeneous and the presence of MOG auto-antibodies has been proposed as a diagnostic biomarker. Diagnosis
Diagnostic criteria
In 2002, the Transverse Myelitis Consortium Working Group proposed the following diagnostic criteria for idiopathic acute transverse myelitis:

Investigations
Individuals who develop TM are typically transferred to a neurologist who can urgently investigate the patient in a hospital. If breathing is affected, particularly in upper spinal cord lesions, methods of artificial ventilation must be on hand before and during the transfer procedure.
A pelvic kidney, also known as an ectopic kidney, is a normal kidney located in the pelvis, instead of the abdomen. This occurs when a kidney does not ascend from its original location in the pelvis to its final location during prenatal development. They usually present no symptoms, but can increase risk of certain illnesses and healthcare problems. Signs and symptoms
Often, a person with a pelvic kidney will go through their whole life not even knowing they have a pelvic kidney. Complications
Typically, the kidney functions normally despite being in the wrong location. However, it can develop complications. A pelvic kidney can make it more difficult to diagnose kidney infections and kidney cancer. The renal artery and the renal vein may be stretched if they remain attached to the normal locations on the abdominal aorta and the inferior vena cava, which can lead to illness. Causes
In the development of the human embryo, the metanephric kidneys fail to ascend and usually remain at the brim of the pelvis. This clinical scenario may present no signs or symptoms and the kidneys may function normally. It is associated at times with Mullerian dysgenesis. Diagnosis
A pelvic kidney is discovered on newborn kidney ultrasound screening. It may also be detected if complications arise later in life for this or a completely different reason, and during investigations. Epidemiology
Between 1 in 2,200 and 1 in 3,000 people may have a pelvic kidney. History
A pelvic kidney is also known as an ectopic kidney. == References ==