[Pathogenesis and morphology of circulatory disorders of the spinal cord. Review]

After a short recapitulation of the functional anatomy and recent findings with respect to the pathophysiology of the spinal circulation, the more important forms of lesions, sites of disturbances and patterns of the extension of spinal blood flow disturbances are described. The morphological findings and patterns of lesions only give conditioned indications with regard to the site of disturbances causing impaired blood supply and of the clinical symptoms, but it is possible to differentiate certain standard lesions and topical lesion patterns which are demonstrated for processes in the aortic region, affections of root and other aortomedullary affluxes, the spinal longitudinal arteries and the intra- and erimedullary vessels and the venous path and documented by instructive examples. Special emphasis is laid on the role of spinal blood flow disturbances in spinal cord injuries, diseases of the vertebral column as well as in diagnostic and vascular-surgical interventions. Finally, deformations of the spinal vessels and their complications are briefly discussed. The knowledge of the functional anatomy, pathophysiology and pathomorphology of spinal blood flow disturbances appears to be essential for an early diagnosis and a systematic therapy of these rare diseases of the spinal cord which are difficult to demarcate differential-diagnostically.