What sensory deficit is expected 2 months after hemisection of the spinal cord at T10 level?

Following a hemisection of the spinal cord at the T10 level, the expected sensory deficit two months later is the contralateral loss of pain and temperature sensation. This type of injury leads to a condition known as Brown-Sequard syndrome, characterized by a distinctive pattern of deficits due to the crossing pathways of sensory fibers.

When the spinal cord is hemisectioned, the fibers that carry pain and temperature sensations (spinothalamic tract) travel contralaterally, meaning they cross to the opposite side of the spinal cord before ascending to the brain. As a result, a lesion on one side of the spinal cord will lead to loss of these sensations on the opposite side of the body below the level of the injury. In contrast, the dorsal columns, which carry proprioception and vibration sense, ascend on the same side and would remain intact on the ipsilateral side.

This differential involvement of sensory pathways is crucial to understanding the clinical picture post-injury. It forms the basis for the selection of the correct answer regarding the expected sensory deficit.