Acute transverse myelopathy: association with body position

The syndrome of acute transverse myelopathy (ATM) has been described in the medical literature for decades. Despite the clinical descriptions, ATM continues to be poorly understood etiologically. Current thinking associates the syndrome with viral infections, multiple sclerosis, vascular disease, and malignancy. Three cases of ATM seen since 1972 are reported. All three patients described unusual stressful body posturing immediately preceding the onset of neurologic deficit. This presentation focuses on vascular compromise associated with stressful body positioning as another possible etiologic factor for ATM.