Atypical Spinal Cord Infarction: A Prolonged and Stuttering Course for Six Days.

Purpose: Spinal infarction is a rare condition and usually presents with a sudden or acute course. A prolonged course is rare and may mimic the presentation of inflammatory myelitis. Here we present a case of atypical spinal cord infarction with a stuttering course for six days..

Case report: A 47-year-old male presented initially with symptoms of sudden onset, limb pain. Sudden chest pain radiating to the back, occurred three days later. Sudden urinary retention and quadriparesis were presented after another three days. The diagnosis of spinal cord infarction was made through diffusion restriction in spinal magnetic resonance imaging.

Conclusion: A prolonged course of spinal cord infarction is relatively uncommon but a stepwise and stuttering course may provide clues. Diffusion restriction in magnetic resonance imaging also may be helpful. The diagnosis of spinal cord infarction should always be kept in mind.