The Problem of Status Spongiosus

Abstract

The term “status spongiosus” (STSP) means an alteration of the central nervous tissue in the form of a spongy loosening, presenting a three-dimensional network of fibrillar tissue constituents and appearing as a system of vesicular cavities filled with fluid. This alteration can be defined as partial necrosis, which appears in the gray as well as in the white matter. It can be present in small patches and may consist of an aggregation of a few fluid-containing vesicles; the alteration can also be more extensive, sometimes affecting the griseum as a whole in pseudocyst-like distribution, or affecting laminar areas of the cortices and of the cortico-subcortical border zones; further, it can appear in large continuous areas of the central white matter. The status spongiosus is not caused by one specific lesion. Pathogenetically it has not been defined. Various types of lesions can cause this state, and therefore it is not a disease and not a neuropathological entity. It is a histopathological syndrome that is neither dependent on a single endogenous nor an exogenous condition. It is found in connection with degenerative, inflammatory, and circulatory syndromes or diseases.