Role of diffusion MRI in diagnosis of spinal cord infarction in children.
Anterior spinal artery (ASA) infarction is a rare but well-described cause of flaccid paraparesis in adults, presenting with a high thoracic spinothalamic sensory level and preservation of dorsal column function. Careful sensory examination, demonstrating loss of spinothalamic modalities with preservation of dorsal column modalities, supports a clinical diagnosis of ASA infarction. Findings on conventional MRI of the spinal cord are often non-specific, and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is not routinely performed. We describe four children with ASA infarction after minor trauma. DWI was performed in all cases and confirmed the clinical diagnosis.
Beslow
L A
LA
Division of Neurology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA.
Ichord
R N
RN
Zimmerman
R A
RA
Smith
S E
SE
Licht
D J
DJ
D000293:Adolescent; D020759:Anterior Spinal Artery Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006987:Hypesthesia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D007238:Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000098:blood supply*; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications