Spinal cord injury. The role of vascular damage in the pathogenesis of central hemorrhagic necrosis.

We postulated that damage to the endothelial lining of the spinal cord vasculature is a major factor in the pathogenesis of the characteristic lesion of the spinal cord (progressive, central, hemorrhage necrosis) that occurs after acute trauma. Endothelial damage may occur as a result of primary injury to the vessels or after arterial spasm. This damageresults in deposition of platelets and formation of thrombi on the exposed subendothelial tissues and embolization of such thrombi to smaller vessels of the spinal cord parenchyma.