Pathological features including apoptosis in subacute posttraumatic ascending myelopathy

Case report and review of the literature

Mubarak Al-Ghatany M.D., F.R.C.S.(C)1, Mubarak Al-Shraim M.D.1, Allan D. O. Levi M.D., Ph.D.1, and Rajiv Midha M.D., M.Sc., F.R.C.S.(C)1
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  • 1 Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Toronto Western Hospital and University of Toronto; Department of Pathology, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Center, and University of Toronto, Ontario; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Division of Neurosurgery, Foothills Medical Center, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and Department of Neurosurgery, University of Miami, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Miami, Florida
Page Range:
619–623
Volume/Issue:
Volume 2: Issue 5
DOI link:
https://doi.org/10.3171/spi.2005.2.5.0619
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✓ Subacute posttraumatic ascending myelopathy (SPAM) is a rare disorder that may gradually emerge in the first 1 to 3 weeks after a spinal cord injury and is unrelated to syrinx formation or mechanical instability. In addition to several theories that have been put forth to explain the origin of this syndrome, the authors propose a possible role for apoptosis in the causation and the progression of SPAM. They discuss the various theories that have been proposed thus far, to place the role of apoptosis in perspective and use their case as an illustration.

Volume 2: Issue 5 (May 2005)

in Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine
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