Spinal Cord Infarction

Synonyms:

a.k.a. anterior spinal artery syndrome:

Clinical features:

Back pain +sudden paraplegia with areflexia & urinary retention, loss of touch, temperature,
Usually spares proprioception & vibration

Findings in Investigations:

+MRI:

  • may be negative initially
  • Hyperintensity in the spinal cord, slightly expanded spinal cord later on

Note: T1-T4 & T5-T7 are the vascular boundary zones

Investigations to consider:

FBC,U&E, creatinine, LFTs, lipid panel, fasting blood glucose
ANA, ANCA, VDRL
ECG, Holter, echocardiogram
MRI

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