Vascular Events After Spinal Cord Injury: Contribution to Secondary Pathogenesis

Traumatic spinal cord injury results in the disruption of neural and vascular structures (primary injury) and is characterized by an evolution of secondary pathogenic events that collectively define the extent of functional recovery. This article reviews the vascular responses to spinal cord injury, focusing on both early and delayed events, including intraparenchymal hemorrhage, inflammation, disruption of the blood-spinal cord barrier, and angiogenesis. These vascular-related events not only influence the evolution of secondary tissue damage but also define an environment that fosters neural plasticity in the chronically injured spinal cord. [Mautes AEM, Weinzierl MR, Donovan F, Noble LJ. Vascular events after spinal cord injury: contribution to secondary pathogenesis. Phys Ther. 2000;80:673-687.] Key Words: Blood-spinal cord barrier, Inflammation, Metalloproteinases, Spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injury results in the initial physical disruption of structures in the spinal cord (primary insult) and in the generation of secondary events that collectively injure intact, neighboring tissue. [...]