Chronic Hip Instability as a Cause of Autonomic Dysreflexia: Successful Management by Resection Arthroplasty

Autonomic dysreflexia is a potentially life-threatening syndrome marked by hypertension, spasms, headache, sweating, goose bumps, and other signs of vasomotor instability that occurs in patients with spinal cord injuries at or cephalad to the sixth thoracic level. Episodes of autonomic dysreflexia are most commonly triggered by noxious stimuli such as bowel or bladder distention. Orthopaedic causes such as fractures have been reported but are far less common. We report a case in which autonomic dysreflexia in a patient with chronic instability of the hip was treated successfully by resection arthroplasty of the proximal part of the femur.