IMAGE IN NEUROLOGY

Unilateral non traumatic vertebral artery dissection with cervical spinal cord infarction

Dissecção unilateral da artéria vertebral não traumática com infarto da medula espinhal cervical

Patricia Gushiken Takahashi; Rubens Gisbert Cury; Camila Galvão Lopes; Mateus Mistieri Simabukuro; Paulo Eurípedes Marchiori

Department of Neurology, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo SP, Brazil

Correspondence

A 45-year old male patient with diabetes presented neck pain with paresthesia and paresis in upper limbs. Physical examination: proximal paraparesis, hyporeflexia and hypoesthesia in the upper limbs. MRI: ischemia in the right hemi-spinal cord (Fig 1), associated to right vertebral artery (VA) dissection (Fig 2).

Although more frequently VA dissection causes transient ischemic attack or stroke¹, there are few reported cases of ischemia of the cervical cord. VA branches may feed the cervical part of the anterior spinal artery on one or both sides and its occlusion by VA dissection may cause hypoperfusion in this territory².

REFERENCES

1. Arnold M, Bousser MG. Clinical manifestations of vertebral artery dissection. Front Neurol Neurosci 2005;20:77-86.         [ Links ]

2. Machnowska M, Moien-Afshari F, Voll C, Wiebe S. Partial anterior cervical cord infarction following vertebral artery dissection. Can J Neurol Sci 2008;35:674-677.         [ Links ]

Correspondence:
Rubens Gisbert Cury
Rua Dona Adma Jafet 74 / cj. 107
01308-050 São Paulo SP - Brasil
E-mail: rubens_cury@terra.com.br

Conflict of interest:
There is no conflict of interest to declare.

Received 08 September 2011
Received in final form 14 October 2011
Accepted 21 October 2011