Anterior spinal cord ischemia after infrainguinal bypass surgery

Morbidity of infrainguinal bypass surgery is mostly related to cardiac complication, graft thrombosis, and wound infections. Neurologic complications in these patients are unusual and generally related to traumatic peripheral nerve injury or ischemia. Anterior spinal cord ischemia, manifest clinically as flaccid paraplegia or lower extremity paraparesis, is a complication usually associated with aortic surgery. Reported here is a case of an 81-year-old male who developed spinal cord ischemia after infrainguinal bypass under epidural anesthesia.