Spinal cord infarct caused from suspected fibrocartilaginous embolism.

Introduction: We report a case of spinal cord infarct as a result of suspected fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE).

Case Presentation: A 23-year-old man presented with sudden onset cervical and upper back pain followed by progressive weakness in his extremities after throwing a baseball. History, neurologic examination and spinal cord imaging were consistent with spinal cord infarct. We believe the cause was from FCE.

Discussion: Though rare, physicians should be familiar with this diagnosis and the proposed mechanisms. There is no specific treatment for FCE-related spinal cord infarct and long-term prognosis is largely dependent on the degree of spinal cord injury.