Key result
Acute aortic coarctation and occlusion can present as non-traumatic paraplegia due to spinal cord ischemia or subarachnoid hemorrhage, requiring prompt diagnosis.
Case Report (n=2)
Undiagnosed congenital abnormalities such as aortic coarctation and occlusion should be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with nontraumatic paraplegia.
May warrant including aortic coarctation in nontraumatic paraplegia differentials; extends rare presentations but remains hypothesis-generating.
Coarctation and occlusion of the aorta is a rare condition that typically presents with hypertension or cardiac failure. However, neuropathy or myelopathy may be the presenting features of the condition when an intraspinal subarachnoid hemorrhage has compressed the spinal cord causing ischemia. We report two cases of middle-aged males who developed acute non-traumatic paraplegia. Undiagnosed congenital abnormalities, such as aortic coarctation and occlusion, should be considered for patients presenting with nontraumatic paraplegia in the absence of other identifiable causes. Our cases suggest that spinal cord ischemia resulting from acute spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage and can cause paraplegia, and that clinicians must carefully examine patients presenting with nontraumatic paraplegia because misdiagnosis can delay initiation of the appropriate treatment.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Park et al. (2014) conducted a case report in Acute aortic coarctation and occlusion (n=2). Acute aortic coarctation and occlusion was evaluated. Acute aortic coarctation and occlusion can present as non-traumatic paraplegia due to spinal cord ischemia or subarachnoid hemorrhage, requiring prompt diagnosis.
Synapse has enriched 2 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: