What is anterior cord syndrome symptoms?
What is anterior cord syndrome symptoms?
Signs and symptoms
- Complete motor paralysis below the level of the lesion due to interruption of the corticospinal tract.
- Loss of pain and temperature sensation at and below the level of the lesion due to interruption of the spinothalamic tract.
- Retained proprioception and vibratory sensation due to intact dorsal columns.
What type of injury causes anterior cord syndrome?
Anterior cord syndrome is caused by ischemia within the anterior spinal artery (ASA), which supplies blood to the anterior 2/3of the spinal cord. The ASA forms from the bilateral vertebral arteries at the foramen magnum.
What can an MRI not detect?
MRI can be used to view arteries and veins. Standard MRI can’t see fluid that is moving, such as blood in an artery, and this creates “flow voids” that appear as black holes on the image. Contrast dye (gadolinium) injected into the bloodstream helps the computer “see” the arteries and veins.
Can you see arthritis on MRI?
MRI is the most effective way to diagnose problems within any joint and the image sensitivity makes it the most accurate imaging tool available in detecting arthritis and other inflammatory changes.
How is anterior cord syndrome diagnosed?
MRI is the primary imaging modality in the diagnosis of anterior cord syndrome. T2 hyperintensities within the region of the anterior horns are the hallmark finding. These hyperintensities on the sagittal view appear as thin “pencil-like” lesions extending vertically across several spinal levels.
What is anterior cord syndrome and what causes it?
Anterior cord syndrome is a spinal lesion affects the anterior region of the spinal cord, which causes loss of motor control integrated with crude sensation. The exact location of lesion development is at the anterior two-thirds of the spinal cord due to ischemic injury caused by a vascular lesion at the anterior spinal artery.
What are the signs and symptoms of anterior spinal artery syndrome infarct?
Anterior spinal artery syndrome infarcts typically presents as a bilateral loss of motor function and pain/temperature sensation, with relative sparing of proprioception and vibratory senses (dorsal columns being in the posterior segment of the cord) below the level of the lesion.
Can post-contrast imaging help detect acute spinal cord infarct?
Post-contrast imaging with gadolinium-based agents is not directly helpful for detection of acute spinal cord infarct as there is no obvious enhancement. It can be helpful to rule out other etiologies (tumor, infection/inflammation, or active demyelination).
Which MRI findings are characteristic of a spinal cord infarct?
If there is high suspicion for a cord infarct, then one would acquire MRI with spin-echo T2-weighted, short-tau inversion recovery (STIR) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequences. Typically, there would be a longitudinally extensive intramedullary cord lesion on the sagittal sequence.
