28th May 2025

A 65-year-old man with a background of hypertension, ischaemic heart disease and diabetes is getting off a plane after a long-haul flight from Australia when he experiences a sudden complete loss of power in both his legs.

A 65-year-old man with a background of hypertension, ischaemic heart disease and diabetes is getting off a plane after a long-haul flight from Australia when he experiences a sudden complete loss of power in both his legs. He develops urinary and faecal incontinence soon after and is embarrassed that he has developed priapism. A FAST bedside ultrasonography test finds a normal calibre aorta. On examination, touch sensation and proprioception are intact, but there is no sensation to pain or temperature stimulus up to his nipples. Which structure is likely to have been affected by the underlying pathology?