Magnetic resonance tractography exhibiting retrograde degeneration of the corticospinal tract in a patient with a unilateral spinal cord tumor.

BACKGROUND

Transection-induced axonal retrograde degeneration, in contrast to Wallerian degeneration, has not been widely recognized in clinical practice.

AIMS OF THE STUDY: To assess a potential of corticospinal tractography for detecting axonal retrograde degeneration.

METHODS

We assessed the corticospinal tractography of a 74-year-old woman with monoplegia of the lower limb due to a unilateral thoracic spinal cord tumor.

RESULTS

The tractography revealed integrity reduction of the corticospinal tract in the cerebra contralateral to the spinal cord tumor.

CONCLUSIONS

The present report supports that magnetic resonance tractography has the potential for detecting this under-recognized phenomenon.