Schröter P, Göcke H, Hitzschke B
Zentralbl Allg Pathol. 1975;119(3):208-12.
A case of a 54 years old man with an acute lumbalgia in result of heavy labour is described. With in 7 years he developed a progressive paralysis of the upper and lower motor neuron type and an insensibility of the inferior extremities. The protein content of the cerebrospinal fluid was increased. The cells were insignificantly increased in number. No tumour was detected. The man died at the age of 62 on intoxication by infected decubitus and focal pneumonia. Autopsy revealed subacute necrotic myelitis (Foix-Alajouanine) with enlarged, varicose, and thickened extramedullary veins of the sacral, lumbal, and lower thoracic spinal cord, which was soft and diminished in size. In the grey and white matter of the cord, there were found more numerous and more prominent vessels like an angioma capillare et venosum; complete and incomplete necrosis was observed, partially with plasmatic infiltration. Some nerve cells were still present. Nerve fibres without myelin mantle were found in the spinal cord as well as in the spinal roots. The authors support the suggestion that the subacute necrotic myelitis results from a dysgenesis of the spinal venous vessels.
