Case study of a coiled spinal cord secondary to liver encephalopathy
Description
During the first-year human gross anatomy laboratory at Des Moines University (DMU), students performed a routine laminectomy of the lumbar vertebral column of a donor that revealed a coiled spinal cord. A thorough review of the literature revealed no prior reports describing such an anomaly, warranting further investigation. Preliminary analysis through histological staining showed signs of AV malformation, edema, and calcifications. The purpose of this investigation is to further analyze the coiled spinal cord through histological analysis via cryostat sectioning and staining to constrain the circumstances and timing that led to asymmetrical encephalopathy and atypical coiling of a cadaver donor’s spinal cord. Specific sections from the coiled spinal cord were rapidly frozen in embedding medium, sliced, and embedded on slides. Then, slides were stained in order to visualize abnormalities in the tissue. The project is still ongoing, and results will be described as the slides are analyzed.
Citation Information
Huber, Kayli; Matz, Donald; Werning, Sarah; and Spocter, Muhammad A., "Case study of a coiled spinal cord secondary to liver encephalopathy" (2026). Office of Research DMU Research Symposium. 94.
https://digitalcommons.dmu.edu/researchsymposium/2025rs/2025abstracts/94
Case study of a coiled spinal cord secondary to liver encephalopathy
During the first-year human gross anatomy laboratory at Des Moines University (DMU), students performed a routine laminectomy of the lumbar vertebral column of a donor that revealed a coiled spinal cord. A thorough review of the literature revealed no prior reports describing such an anomaly, warranting further investigation. Preliminary analysis through histological staining showed signs of AV malformation, edema, and calcifications. The purpose of this investigation is to further analyze the coiled spinal cord through histological analysis via cryostat sectioning and staining to constrain the circumstances and timing that led to asymmetrical encephalopathy and atypical coiling of a cadaver donor’s spinal cord. Specific sections from the coiled spinal cord were rapidly frozen in embedding medium, sliced, and embedded on slides. Then, slides were stained in order to visualize abnormalities in the tissue. The project is still ongoing, and results will be described as the slides are analyzed.
