Table 2.

Functional and psychiatric comorbidity in scan-positive and -negative cauda equina syndrome

	Scan +ve (n = 78) n (%)	Scan −ve with root compression (n = 87) n (%)	P value	Scan −ve no root compression (n = 104) n (%)	P value
Functional disorder comorbidity	7 (9%)	26 (30%)	0.0007	39 (37%)	< 0.0001
Functional disorders*
Irritable bowel syndrome	2 (3%)	9 (10%)		12 (11%)
Non-cardiac chest pain	0	7 (8%)		17 (16%)
Chronic widespread pain	5 (6%)	5 (6%)		8 (8%)
Other		1 atypical facial pain		2 functional cognitive disorder
Functional neurological disorders*	0	10 (11%)	0.0014	13 (12%)	0.0005
Limb weakness		3 (3%)		6 (6%)
Sensory/hemisensory		4 (5%)		5 (5%)
Dissociative seizures		2 (3%)		1 (1%)
Other		2 (2%) Dysphonia		2 (2%) Visual
Psychiatric diagnoses*
Depression	17 (22%)	34 (39%)	0.02	55 (53%)	< 0.0001
Anxiety	14 (18%)	26 (30%)		43 (41%)
Personality disorder	8 (10%)	21 (24%)		17 (16%)
Other	0	2 (2%) 1 anorexia 1 OCD 1 suicidal ideation		1 (1%) 3 (3%) PTSD 2 deliberate overdose
Timing of FND in relation to CES presentation
Prior		6 (7%)		6 (6%)
At the same time		2 (2%)		4 (4%)
After		2 (2%)		3 (3%)

Bold—P values of < 0.05 were deemed significant

FND functional neurological disorder, OCD obsessive compulsive disorder, PTSD post-traumatic stress disorder

*Several patients had more than one disorder