Abstract
Spinal cord atrophy represents an irreversible state of degeneration manifested both radiographically and pathologically by a loss of spinal cord substance. It is accompanied by varying clinical states of myeloradiculopathy and is slowly progressive without remissions. There is as yet no significant surgical or medical therapy capable of reversing this process once it has begun. There remains some possibility that a plateau may be reached in the evolution of neurological symptoms by early decompression in instances of mechanical deformation of the spinal cord, and perhaps also by excision lesions capable of producing ischemic disturbances such as intramedullary vascular tumors and arteriovenous malformations.
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Holtzman, R.N.N., Yang, W.C. (1992). Spinal Cord Atrophy. In: Holtzman, R.N.N., Stein, B.M. (eds) Surgery of the Spinal Cord. Contemporary Perspectives in Neurosurgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2798-4_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2798-4_8
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