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A case of spinal cord infarction caused by polycythemia vera
1Department of Neurology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Study Design:
This is a case report.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to report on a 66-year-old woman with a confirmed diagnosis of polycythemia vera who presented with acute spinal cord infarction.
Setting:
A 66-year-old woman was previously diagnosed with polycythemia vera and presented with acute paraparesis and urinary retention.
Results:
The patient's platelet count was 847,000 platelets per μl. T2- and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging revealed hyperintensity at the T12-L1 spinal cord. Computed tomography of the abdominal aorta further revealed multiple thrombi filling the aortic lumen.
Conclusions:
Polycythemia vera creates a high risk of systemic thrombosis due to hyperviscosity and platelet activation. Although acute infarction in the spinal cord is a rare complication of this myeloproliferative disease, it should be considered in all affected patients.
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