Ischemic spinal cord injury after aortocoronary bypass operation. A case report

Although spinal ischemia is a very well recognized complication after operation on the thoraco-abdominal and abdominal aorta, it is very rare following coronary artery bypass surgery. A case of a 56-year-old man, who had juxtarenal aortic occlusion and became paraplegic after internal mammary artery grafting for ischemic heart disease is reported. The complete paraplegia was thought to be due to interruption of critical collateral blood supply to the spinal cord.