Spinal vascular lesions: anatomy, imaging techniques and treatment

Abstract

Background: Vascular lesions of the spinal cord are rare but potentially devastating conditions whose accurate recognition critically determines the clinical outcome. Several conditions lead to myelopathy due to either arterial ischemia, venous congestion or bleeding within the cord. The clinical presentation varies, according with the different aetiology and mechanism of damage. Purpose: The aim is to provide a comprehensive review on the radiological features of the most common vascular myelopathies, passing through the knowledge of the vascular spinal anatomy and the clinical aspects of the different aetiologies, which is crucial to promptly address the diagnosis and the radiological assessment.

Keywords

• Vascular spinal cord lesions
• Vascular myelopathies
• Spinal cord anatomy
• Neuroimaging
• MRI
• Spinal angiography