Childhood idiopathic spinal cord infarction: Description of 7 cases and review of the literature

Abstract Objectives To describe the clinical course, neuroimaging findings and functional outcome of idiopathic spinal cord infarction (SCI) in adolescents. Methods Retrospective and descriptive analyses of seven patients with idiopathic SCI and 50 additional cases from the literature were included. Data collected concerned clinical presentation, MRI findings, initial diagnosis, treatments and functional outcome at the last medical visit. Results Mean age at presentation was 13.2 years (range 13–15). All patients presented a sudden and painful acute myelopathy with Conclusion Idiopathic SCI typically occurs in adolescence with a rapid onset and painful acute myelopathy. The MRI shows a T2-hyperintense signal within the spinal cord and provides evidence for an ischemic mechanism. Etiology remains unclear in most cases even though some specific risk factors for this age must play an important role in the pathogenesis, such as mechanical constraints on the immature spine.