A study of retrograde brachial angiograms of 47 infants and children in which the anterior spinal artery of the cervical cord was visualised, the aim being to establish the direction of the blood flow in this vessel. The most frequent direction of blood flow proved to be ascending, via the radiculomedullary arteries accompanying roots C7 and C8 and deriving from branches of the subclavian artery (costo-cervical and ascending cervical arteries). These results highlight the need to reconsider the physiopathologic mechanism of certain clinical syndromes. Some practical applications in the diagnosis of vascular diseases of the cord are suggested.
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