Cerebrospinal fluid drainage and thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair

Spinal cordcomplications including paraplegiaand partial neurologic deficits remain a frequent problem during repair of descending thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. Effective prevention of this dreaded complication is of paramount importance. Among the many adjuncts that have been proposed to prevent spinal cordcomplications, spinal fluid drainage is one that has been used by numerous teams. The aim of this review is to answer the following question: does spinal fluid drainage afford spinal cordprotection during both open and endovascular repair of thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms?