Overview

Spinal cord infarction (sometimes called spinal stroke) refers to injury to the spinal cord due to oxygen deprivation.
Spinal cord infarction occurs when one of the three major arteries that supply blood (and therefore oxygen) to the spinal cord is blocked.

As a result of such an occlusion, the spinal cord is deprived of oxygen, resulting in injury and destruction of the very vulnerable nerve fibers. The resulting disability will depend on what level of the spinal cord suffers the injury; everything below the area of the occlusion will be affected.

A variety of conditions can result in occlusion of the spinal arteries and spinal cord infarction, including:

*) Atherosclerosis of the aorta

*) A dissecting aortic aneurysm (as well as surgical accidents that occur when clipping aortic aneurysms)

*) A tumor or abscess impinging on an artery

*) Blockages in smaller blood vessels due to diabetes, polyarteritis nodosa, systemic lupus erythematosus, neurosyphilis, tuberculous meningitis, pneumococcal meningitis

*) Severe low blood pressure

*) Blood clots