[Strategies for prevention from spinal cord ischemia during thoracic endovascular aortic repair].

Spinal cord ischemia (SCI) is one of the most serious complications in patients who undergo thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). The incidence of SCI after TEVAR has been supposed to be lower than the one after traditional open surgical repair. However, not a few cases regarding SCI after TEVAR have been reported recently. Since the detailed mechanism of the SCI is still not fully understood, preventive strategies against SCI including preoperative identification of critical segmental artery (CSA) applying the artery of Adamkiewicz, preservation of the CSA, motor evoked potential (MEP) monitoring, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage are routinely performed during TEVAR in our practice.