Acute infra-renal aortic dissection presenting as back pain and transient paralysis of the lower limbs

Abstract

Spinal cord injury is a rare complication in patients with aortic dissection. Spinal ischaemia has been reported as a complication of aortic dissection due to impairment of its extrinsic supply in the great radicular artery (GRA) of Adamkiewicz. The extrinsic arterial blood supply to the spinal cord, diminishes caudally and is believed to become critically dependent upon the GRA.1 infra-renal aortic dissections (IAAD) inducing spinal ischaemia are exceptionally rare in the literature. We present a case of an infra-renal aortic dissection (IAAD) presenting with transient spinal ischaemia.