CASE REPORT   Open access

Italian Journal of Emergency Medicine 2022 April;11(1):49-51

DOI: 10.23736/S2532-1285.22.00120-3

Copyright © 2022 THE AUTHORS

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language: English

Hypotensive infarction of the spinal cord or acute spinal cord infarction presenting with chest pain?

Anna L. ALIMONDA ¹, Francesca PITZUS ¹, Stefania DESSÌ ¹ ✉, Daniela MURGIA ¹, Francesco ARCA ², Fabrizio POLO ¹

¹ Arnas G. Brotzu Hospital, Cagliari, Italy; ² Civil Hospital of Alghero, Alghero, Sassari, Italy

A 60-year-old man, transferred by 118 Team to the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) with chest pain. During the travel it has been given glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) sublingual due to high blood pressure level. Arrived in A&E, the patient presented hypotension and bradycardia also complained about a bilateral lower extremities weakness. Once excluded aortic dissection as the cause, a spinal cord infarction diagnosis will be confirmed with an magnetic resonance imaging scan 36 hours after the first symptoms.

KEY WORDS: Spinal cord; Infarction; Chest pain