The symptoms: The girl arrived at an emergency department after waking up with sudden, severe pain in her upper back. They instead concluded that the girl had experienced a spinal cord infarction , or essentially a stroke affecting the spinal cord. While slightly younger than the most commonly affected demographic, the 8-year-old patient in this case otherwise fit this description. The treatment: There isn't a specific treatment for FCE; instead, care focuses on managing the symptoms caused by the spinal stroke. Presumed fibrocartilaginous embolism causing spinal cord infarct in 8-year-old female: A case report.