FOIX-ALAJOUANINE SYNDROME: A CASE REPORT

A 59-year-old woman presented with a rare case of sudden spontaneous lower extremity paresis and severe low back pain caused by spontaneous thrombosis of a spinal arteriovenous malformation after a sub acute myelopathic course. Spinal arteriovenous malformation generally causes progressive venous congestive myelopathy, but the congestive myelopathy may rarely deteriorate with spontaneous thrombosis, known as Foix and Alajouanine syndrome. Definitive diagnosis of spinal AVMs requires radiographic demonstration of the vascular anomaly. Nevertheless, in this case, suggestive defects of malformations could not be seen, in contrast to the MRI findings. These findings rise our attention, about the need to keep in mind the clinical suspicion of AVM in cases of back pain and motor deficit.