Spontaneous posterior spinal artery infarction: An under-recognized cause of acute myelopathy.

Abstract

Spinal cord infarctions (SCIs) predominantly affect the anterior spinal artery (ASA) territory and manifest with acute weakness and loss of pain and temperature sensation. In comparison, posterior spinal artery (PSA) infarctions are more rare,1 possibly due to paired PSAs with increased collateral arterial supply; the diagnosis may also be underrecognized.1–5 Reports on clinical and radiologic features and outcomes of PSA infarcts are scant. We sought to describe all PSA infarcts seen at Mayo Clinic (1997–2017) to improve the understanding and awareness of this uncommon myelopathy. All patients consented to use of their medical records for research.