Incomplete Anterior Spinal Artery Syndrome Responsive to Intrathecal Baclofen

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 6; p. e40391
• Main Authors: Waack, Andrew, Fliegner, Maximilian, Menkes, Daniel L, Staudt, Michael D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 13.06.2023; Cureus
• Subjects: Aneurysms; Cardiac/Thoracic/Vascular Surgery; Case reports; Ischemia; Neurology; Neurosurgery; Paralysis; Posture; Spasticity; Spinal cord; Surgery; Urinary incontinence; Veins & arteries; intrathecal; endovascular repair of abdominal aneurysm; spasticity; anterior cord syndrome; abdominal aortic stenosis; baclofen; anterior spinal artery syndrome
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.40391

Anterior cord syndrome (ACS) occurs as a result of ischemia in the territory of the anterior spinal artery (ASA). Although spinal cord strokes are rare, the ASA is the most commonly affected vessel in the spinal cord. The typical presentation of an ASA stroke is paraparesis or paraplegia, bilateral loss of pain and temperature sensation, and fecal or urinary incontinence; the underlying neural structures responsible for these symptoms include the corticospinal tracts and anterior horns, anterolateral spinothalamic tracts, and lateral horns, respectively. ACS is a feared complication of aortic procedures and has been well-documented to occur during or after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm revascularization (EVAR). We report a case of incomplete or partial ACS presenting with delayed-onset spasticity and instability several months following EVAR, who was subsequently treated with intrathecal baclofen. We hypothesize that this patient's ischemia selectively damaged descending white matter tracts responsible for modulating the stretch receptor reflex, including damage to the corticospinal tract, which likely also impaired positional stability.