A 40-year-old woman is identified as paraplegic at the level of T10. Which diagnosis does this finding most likely correspond to?

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The diagnosis that corresponds most closely with a patient being paraplegic at the T10 spinal level is complete cord syndrome. This condition refers to a total loss of sensory and motor function below the level of the injury, which, in this case, is the T10 vertebra. Given that the patient has identified paraplegia, it indicates a specific and total disruption of the spinal cord's ability to transmit signals below that point, leading to loss of function in the lower limbs while upper limb function remains intact.

In complete cord syndrome, the patient may also experience loss of autonomic control below the level of the injury, which can result in complications such as bladder and bowel dysfunction, loss of temperature regulation, and a risk of deep vein thrombosis. This aligns with the typical clinical picture seen in such cases.

Other diagnoses listed, such as central cord syndrome, spinal shock syndrome, and anterior cord syndrome, each have distinct presentations and characteristics that do not match the clear, total loss of function described in this scenario. Central cord syndrome, for instance, tends to affect upper extremity function more significantly than lower extremity function, which would not apply here. Spinal shock syndrome refers to a temporary state following an injury and does not correspond to the long

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