Recovery of paraplegia after type B dissection due to spinal collateral recruitment.
Acute paraplegia could be a symptom of aortic dissection due to sudden compromise of arterial spinal cord blood supply. Complete spontaneous neurologic recovery is possible and was observed in the present case 3 hours after symptom onset. Spontaneous spinal cord reperfusion after acute type B dissection was probably due to two main mechanisms. Reperfusion of false lumen and collateral vascular network recruitment, recently confirmed by anatomic animal studies, serve as potential explanations. Favorable evolution of acute paraplegia after aortic dissection exists, but prognosis is uncertain, probably due to individual variable anatomic distribution of spinal cord blood supply.
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland. lars.niclauss@chuv.ch
Lars
L
Niclauss
Dominique
D
Delay
Ludwig Karl
LK
von Segesser
D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000209:etiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000098:blood supply*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed