Neurol Sci. 2026 May 8;47(6):478. doi: 10.1007/s10072-026-09085-2.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Spinal cord infarction (SCI) is a rare but severe cause of acute myelopathy, and evidence supporting reperfusion therapies remains limited.
METHODS: We report a 73-year-old man with spontaneous cervical SCI treated with intravenous alteplase and perform a systematic review (database search from inception to 13 November 2025) of case reports/series describing intravenous (IV) or intra-arterial (IA) thrombolysis for SCI, extracting data about clinical presentation, diagnostic and therapeutic work-up and functional outcomes.
RESULTS: Our patient improved after thrombolysis and achieved functional independence at 3 months (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] 2). The review identified 21 studies (19 case reports, 2 case series) totaling 25 patients; including our case, 26 patients were analyzed. Mean age was 57.4 years (range 14-83), and anterior spinal artery (ASA) syndrome was the most common presentation. Most patients received IV thrombolysis; 4 underwent IA therapy (alone or combined). Considering the last available assessment, 14/25 patients (56.0%) had a favorable outcome (mRS 0-2), 8/25 (32.0%) had mRS 3, and 3/25 (12.0%) had mRS 4-5. No symptomatic treatment-related hemorrhagic complications were reported. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Published experience suggests that thrombolysis in carefully selected patients with suspected SCI may represent a reasonably safe therapeutic option, but evidence is limited and subject to major bias. Prospective registries and multicenter studies are needed to clarify safety, efficacy, and selection criteria.
PMID:42098511 | DOI:10.1007/s10072-026-09085-2