Spinal Cord Infarction as a Cause of Acute Myelopathy

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Ahmed Harazeen, Emory University; Anand Patel, Baylor College of Medicine; Chilvana patel, University of Texas, Galveston
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-12-12
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2023, Harazeen et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.50379
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Cureus
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 12
• Start Page: w50379
• Keywords: acute stroke; spinal cord ischemia; myelopathy; spinal cord infarct; acute bilateral weakness
• Subject - Topics: Spine

Abstract

Spinal cord infarction is an uncommon and often perplexing condition for emergency doctors to diagnose. Its initial symptoms are general and non-distinct, leading to frequent misdiagnosis. This case report is about a 56-year-old woman who presented to the hospital with substernal tightening chest pain and rapidly progressing bilateral lower-extremity weakness. Initially, she was diagnosed with spinal cord infarction based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) studies, with all other differential diagnoses ruled out. This article explores the utility of advanced MRI techniques, particularly diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequence, in diagnosing spinal cord infarction. This is especially pertinent in patients who present with atypical symptoms and do not have conventional risk factors for spinal cord ischemia.