[Autopsy findings of atheromatous embolism to the spinal cord]

To study vascular lesions of the spinal cord in the elderly, a pathological study of atheromatous emboli in the spinal cord was done. Among 604 patients examined at autopsy, atheromatous emboli of the spinal cord were found in 7 (1.2%). The average age of these patients was 76 years. The most common underlying disorders in these patients were hypertension, severe aortic atherosclerosis, and diabetes mellitus. Atheromatous emboli were also often found in the arteries of the kidneys, spleen, pancreas, and colon. The small arteries of the spinal arachnoid at the lumbosacral level were most frequently affected by the atheromatous emboli. Two patients had spinal-cord infarctions associated with atheromatous emboli: one had a cystic infarction of the lateral column at the T9 segment, and the other had cystic infarctions of the lateral column at the C7 and T3 segments. The low incidence of spinal cord infarction was attributed to good collateral circulation in the spinal cord. Atheromatous embolism should be considered as a possible cause of vascular lesions of the spinal cord in elderly persons with aortic atherosclerosis.