Spinal Cord Infarction Owing to Likely Fibrocartilaginous Embolism

Fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE) is one of the rare causes of acute spinal cord infarction. We report the case of a previously healthy 16-year-old adolescent with a presentation suggestive of this condition. A few hours after lifting heavy objects, he developed sudden paraplegia. On examination, he had flaccid areflexic paraplegia, and thermoalgic anesthesia below the level of the D4 dermatome. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine confirmed the diagnosis of spinal infarction, FCE was retained as a likely cause after eliminating other differential diagnoses. Although FCE is rare, it should be kept as one of the differential diagnoses of an acute neurological deficit of the spinal cord.