[Transient delayed paraplegia after repair of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysms]

Abstract

Thoracoabdominal aneurysm requires multidisciplinary management due to its complexity both in surgical technique and anesthetic considerations. One of the most feared postoperative complication is spinal cord ischemia. It can be presented as different clinical patterns, and its recovery may be partial or complete. The postoperative management of spinal cord ischemia is mainly based on techniques to increase spinal cord perfusion, above all, hemodynamic stability and cerebrospinal fluid drainage. We present two cases of delayed paraplegia after an open repair of a thoracoabdominal aneurysm and a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm repair using an endovascular stent graft. They both had a complete neurological recovery after cerebrospinal fluid drainage.

Keywords: Anestesia; Anesthesia; Aneurisma toracoabdominal; Cerebrospinal fluid drainage; Drenaje de líquido cefalorraquídeo; Isquemia medular; Spinal cord ischemia; Thoracoabdominal aneurysm.