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DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1093335
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York
Role of Diffusion MRI in Diagnosis of Spinal Cord Infarction in Children
Publikationsverlauf
received 10.03.2008
revised 16.06.2008
accepted 18.09.2008
Publikationsdatum:
07. November 2008 (online)


Abstract
Anterior spinal artery (ASA) infarction is a rare but well-described cause of flaccid paraparesis in adults, presenting with a high thoracic spinothalamic sensory level and preservation of dorsal column function. Careful sensory examination, demonstrating loss of spinothalamic modalities with preservation of dorsal column modalities, supports a clinical diagnosis of ASA infarction. Findings on conventional MRI of the spinal cord are often non-specific, and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is not routinely performed. We describe four children with ASA infarction after minor trauma. DWI was performed in all cases and confirmed the clinical diagnosis.
Key words
spinal cord infarction - anterior spinal artery - diffusion-weighted imaging - magnetic resonance imaging - child - pediatric spinal cord