Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 28, 2026
Reproducable Paraplegia by Thoracic Aortic Occlusion in a Murine Model of Spinal Cord Ischemia-reperfusion
Published on: March 3, 2014
Improved spinal cord perfusion during thoracoabdominal aortic repair
E Weigang1, M Hartert, P von Samson
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. weigang@ch11.ukl.uni-freiburg.de
Objectives:
The study's aim is to evaluate whether intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring with transcranial motor-evoked potentials (tcMEP) permits early recognition of neuronal lesions, thus making interventions to prevent irreversible spinal cord damage possible.
Material And Methods:
TcMEP monitoring was carried out in twelve patients (mean age 60 years) during open surgical thoracoabdominal aortic replacement. Current approaches for corrective, spinal cord-protecting interventions consist of: raising distal perfusion by increasing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) flow, catecholamine application, reducing central venous pressure, reimplantation of segmental arteries, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage.
Results:
Nine patients exhibited loss of tcMEP after segmental aorta clamping. In five patients we observed a recovery of tcMEP through counteractive measures. Three patients died intraoperatively, one patient presented with postoperative paraplegia and loss of tcMEP.
Conclusion:
TcMEP loss is associated with spinal cord ischaemia, causing postoperative paraplegia. TcMEP monitoring is an excellent method to detect spinal cord ischaemia at an early stage.
