Mechanisms of upper limb amyotrophy in spinal disorders.
Upper limb amyotrophy may occur as an indirect consequence of various spinal disorders, including ventral longitudinal intraspinal fluid collection, Hirayama disease and high cervical cord compression. We present patients who suffer from each of these and review the literature on the three conditions with emphasis on the pathogenesis of amyotrophy. We propose that pathology some distance from the lower cervical spinal cord may affect normal venous drainage, resulting in venous congestion and reduced perfusion pressure which, in turn, could result in anterior horn cell dysfunction in all three disorders.
Department of Neurosciences, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Emma
E
Foster
Department of Neurosciences, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Benjamin K-T
BK
Tsang
Department of Radiology, Alfred Health, and Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Anthony
A
Kam
Department of Neurosciences, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia. Electronic address: richard.stark@monash.edu.
Richard J
RJ
Stark
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000473:pathology*
Cervical spinal cord; High cord compression; Hirayama disease; Spinal cyst