Spinal cord injury following aortorenal bypass

Spinal cord ischemia following abdominal aortic aneurysmectomy is believed to be caused by hypotension, aortic clamping, division of lumbar arteries, and emboli. In this report a patient underwent aortorenal bypass complicated by temporary urinary and rectal sphincter paralysis appearing four days postoperatively. Angiographic studies suggest that the cord damage was caused by microemboli traversing iliolumbar collateral arteries.