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Overview
Spinal cord infarction
(sometimes called spinal stroke) refers to injury to the spinal cord due to oxygen
deprivation.
Spinal cord infarction occurs when one of the three major arteries
that supply blood (and therefore oxygen) to the spinal cord is blocked. As
a result of such an occlusion, the spinal cord is deprived of oxygen, resulting
in injury and destruction of the very vulnerable nerve fibers. The resulting disability
will depend on what level of the spinal cord suffers the injury; everything below
the area of the occlusion will be affected. A
variety of conditions can result in occlusion of the spinal arteries and spinal
cord infarction, including: *) Atherosclerosis
of the aorta *) A dissecting aortic
aneurysm (as well as surgical accidents that occur when clipping aortic aneurysms)
*) A tumor or abscess impinging on
an artery *) Blockages in smaller
blood vessels due to diabetes, polyarteritis nodosa, systemic lupus erythematosus,
neurosyphilis, tuberculous meningitis, pneumococcal meningitis *)
Severe low blood pressure *) Blood
clots <<backS |