Summary
Spinal cord infarction is a rare entity of varying etiology although most often associated
with atherosclerotic aortic disease. Definitive diagnosis of (idiopathic) spinal cord
infarction in the acute stage and in the absence of demonstrable predisposing factors
is not always possible even with MRI. Diffusion-weighted MRI (dwMRI) may provide valuable
information in the evaluation of spinal cord ischemia. A 45-year-old woman presented
with idiopathic spinal cord infarction manifesting as sudden onset of paraparesis
and sphincter dysfunction. Both T2-weighted and line-scan dwMRI revealed hyperintense
signals in the dorsal part of the spinal conus. Apparent diffusion coefficient values
were significantly low in the lesion, suggesting cytotoxic edema compatible with acute
ischemia. The clinical course and other radiographic findings were also compatible
with idiopathic spinal cord infarction. Diffusion-weighted MRI is an important diagnostic
tool for examining patients with suspected spinal cord ischemia.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
January 17,
2004
Received:
December 3,
2003
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
