Case report of infarction in the region of the posterior spinal arteries.

Spinal cord infarction in the region of the posterior spinal arteries is reported in a 62-year-old woman. The softening was restricted to the lumbosacral region involving two segments. Sectioning the affected and adjacent segments serially no occlusion was found in the posterior spinal arteries. Besides the circumscribed infarction the microscopic picture of the spinal cord was characteristic of vascular myelopathy. The underlying disorders of the previously reported cases and the predisposing factors contributing to the development of infarction are discussed. It is concluded that an insufficient anastomotic network plays the essential role in the pathogenesis of the spinal cord infarction.