A specific cause of the infarction should be looked for, such as diabetes, polyarteritis nodosa (inflammatory damage of vessels) or systemic lupus erythematosus. Neurosyphilis is also a known cause. Other causes include:
Treatment is supportive and aims to relieve symptoms. The prognosis is dependent upon individual circumstances and factors. Posterior spinal artery syndrome
Posterior spinal artery syndrome is much rarer than its anterior counterpart as the white matter structures that are present are much less vulnerable to ischemia since they have a better blood supply. When posterior spinal artery syndrome does occur, dorsal columns are damaged and ischemia may spread into the posterior horns. Clinically the syndrome presents as a loss of tendon reflexes and loss of joint position sense

Transient ischemic attack
Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) rarely affect the spinal cord and usually affect the brain; however, cases have been documented in these areas. Spinal arteriovenous malformations are the main cause and are represented later in this article. However, TIAs can result from emboli in calcific aortic disease and aortic coarctation. Spinal arteriovenous malformations
Spinal arteriovenous malformations (AVMs, or angiomatous malformations) are congenital (from birth) abnormalities of blood vessels. Arteries that directly communicate with veins bypass the capillary network (which has not yet developed) and thus creates a shunt. AVMs appear as a mass of convoluted, dilated vessels. In regards to the spinal cord, they are usually located in the thoracolumbar region (between the thoracic and lumbar regions, 60% of the time), as opposed to the upper thoracic (20%) and cervical regions (approximately 15%).
MAC infection can cause COPD and lymphadenitis, and can cause disseminated disease, especially in people with immunodeficiency. : 245

History
In 2004, Tortoli et al. proposed the name M. chimaera for strains that a reverse hybridization–based line probe assay suggested belonged to MAIS (M. avium–M. intracellulare–M. scrofulaceum group), but were different from M. avium, M. intracellulare, or M. scrofulaceum. The new species name comes from the Chimera, a mythological being made up of parts of three different animals. References
External links
Mycobacterium avium Complex at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)