Anterior spinal artery infarction due to fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE) is often misdiagnosed. We present the case of a 10-year-old boy who presented with acute onset quadriparesis due to FCE. The preceding history of spinal cord axial weight loading, rapid progression of symptoms within minutes, and diffusion restriction on magnetic resonance imaging of spine with loss of signal in C3-C4 intervertebral disc helped to clinch the diagnosis. We review the clinical features of FCE, which will help in early identification and prevention of unnecessary treatment.
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Patel et al. (2026) studied this question.
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