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.

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