Introduction:Vertebral spinal injuries are most often closed. Stab wounds are rarer, but likely to be life-threatening and functional due to their neurological and infectious complications. The objective of this work is to report our experience in the management of spinal cord wounds by stab wounds through 14 cases admitted urgently to our department. Material and methods: Fourteen (14) cases were collected at the neurosurgical department of the National Hospital Center of Nouakchott (CHN) between 2010 and 2024. All our patients benefited from a clinical and paraclinical study and surgical treatment. The average age was 23 years with a range of 7 to 42 years. All patients are male. The clinical examination found CSF flow in 9 cases, paraplegia in 7 cases, and Brown-Séquard syndrome in 6 cases. Three patients presented with the blade implanted in the spine. Spinal CT was performed in all patients and MRI in 10 patients showing a dural breach in seven (7) cases with spinal cord contusion in 4 cases. The site was cervical in three (3) cases, dorsal in six (6) cases and lumbar in five (5) cases. All our patients benefited from surgical treatment (trimming and duralplasty and extirpation of the weapon) followed by medical treatment.Conclusion:Vertebromedullary stab wounds are rare, but more serious and the frequency of spinal cord injuries requires a precise injury assessment for rapid initial treatment to avoid infectious and/or neurological complications.
