Vascular lesions of the spinal cord: history and classification.

Vascular lesions of the spinal cord are uncommon causes of myelopathy. Although recognized for more than 100 years, only slightly more than 100 cases were reported in the literature by midcentury. With recognition of the clinical syndrome and the development of selective spinal angiography in the 1960s and 1970s, a systemic classification of these diverse lesions has been made, allowing rational treatment using modern microsurgical and endovascular therapy.