International angiology : a journal of the International Union of Angiology
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Paraplegia from spinal cord ischemia during thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair remains an unpredictable and unpreventable complication. In an effort to prevent spinal cord ischemia during aortic cross-clamping, preoperative angiographic localization of the blood supply to the spinal cord was performed in dogs. Sixteen animals underwent 60 minutes of thoracoabdominal aortic cross-clamping either without (control, n = 8) or with (shunted, n = 8) a selective shunt. ⋯ Spinal cord blood supply in dogs may be more segmental than previously believed. Technical problems in angiographic localization, spinal artery spasm, loss of spinal cord autoregulation or poor collateral circulation from the distal thoracic to the lumbar cord may also account for these results. Although shunting to aortic segments supplying the anterior spinal artery during thoracoabdominal aortic clamping may be attractive in humans, no benefit could be shown in this experimental model.