Table of Contents
Washington University Experience | VASCULAR | Infarct - Spinal Cord | 1A0 Case 1 History
Case 1 History ---- The patient was a 79 year old woman with a history of hypertension and stroke who suffered a ruptured thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm and developed a flaccid paraparesis status-post surgery. She was admitted on 4-23 with low back pain and was found to have a thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm which had ruptured posteriorly, but was not dissecting. The patient was taken emergently to surgery. On 4-24, upon resolution of her sedation she was found to have a flaccid paraparesis with a pinprick level to approximately T9 or T10. At that time she had no sensation of joint position in the lower extremities. She was started on Dexamethasone, 10 mg IV bolus followed by 8 mg IV q 8 hours x 72 hours. By 4-28, she had regained some perception of joint position sense, suggesting a degree of return of posterior column function; however, she remained paraplegic for the rest of her hospitalization. Finally on 5-24 she succumbed to her other medical problems including sepsis and intrathoracic complications.
