Acute spinal cord thrombosis commonly presents with which of the following?

Acute spinal cord thrombosis commonly presents with which of the following?

• A. Acute back or neck pain with sudden weakness or paralysis and bowel or bladder dysfunction
• B. Gradual onset leg numbness without pain
• C. Isolated facial droop
• D. Chronic headaches

Answer: (B)

Acute spinal cord thrombosis causes an abrupt spinal cord ischemia that presents with sudden, often severe back or neck pain, followed quickly by weakness or paralysis below the level of the lesion and loss of bowel and bladder function. The combination of rapid motor decline and autonomic dysfunction in the setting of acute neck or back pain is the hallmark, reflecting immediate disruption of spinal cord pathways. This stands in contrast to gradual, painless numbness in a leg (which points to chronic or non-spinal processes), an isolated facial droop (cranial nerve or brainstem problem), or chronic headaches (nonspecific and not characteristically tied to a spinal cord event).

Acute spinal cord thrombosis causes an abrupt spinal cord ischemia that presents with sudden, often severe back or neck pain, followed quickly by weakness or paralysis below the level of the lesion and loss of bowel and bladder function. The combination of rapid motor decline and autonomic dysfunction in the setting of acute neck or back pain is the hallmark, reflecting immediate disruption of spinal cord pathways. This stands in contrast to gradual, painless numbness in a leg (which points to chronic or non-spinal processes), an isolated facial droop (cranial nerve or brainstem problem), or chronic headaches (nonspecific and not characteristically tied to a spinal cord event).