Delayed presentation of spinal stab wound: case report and review of the literature

Stab wounds to the spinal cord are relatively uncommon in North America, but even rarer is the presentation of such an injury in a delayed fashion. We report a case of a 31-year-old male who presented with neurologic deficit 4 weeks after a stab wound injury to the spine. Because of worsening neurologic deficit, the retained knife fragment was operatively removed, and the patient had an uneventful recovery. The management of such an injury is discussed, with a review of the literature.