ORIGINAL ARTICLES  VASCULAR SECTION 

The Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery 2008 December;49(6):749-55

Copyright © 2008 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Efficacy of perfusion cooling of the epidural space and cerebrospinal fluid drainage during repair of extent I and II thoracoabdominal aneurysm

Tabayashi K., Motoyoshi N., Saiki Y., Kokubo H., Takahashi G., Masuda S., Shibuya T., Akasaka J., Oda K., Kamata M., Iguti A.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University Sendai, Japan

Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate spinal cord injury and mortality resulting from repair of extent I and II thoracoabdominal aneurysm. The authors compared patients operated under mild hypothermia with or without epidural perfusion cooling (EPC) and cerebrospinal fluid drainage (CSFD).
Methods. From 1988 to 2007, 116 patients underwent replacement of the thoracoabdominal aorta; the procedure was performed in 38 patients with the aid of mild hypothermia alone (group A), and in 78 patients with the aid of EPC, mild hypothermia and CSFD (group B). Two catheters for epidural perfusion cooling were inserted in group B, in which one catheter was inserted into the epidural space to infuse chilled saline, and the other was inserted into the subdural space to drain the cerebrospinal fluid and to measure temperature and pressure. There were no significant differences in mean age, etiology of aortic disease, and aneurysm extent between the two groups.
Results. There were no significant differences in cardiopulmonary bypass time, the lowest nasopharyngeal temperature and operation time between the two study groups. The incidence of spinal cord injury in group A (16.2%) was significantly higher than in group B (3.8%, P=0.03). Hospital mortality in groups A and B was 10.5% and 2.6%, respectively (P=0.08). There was no significant difference in postoperative complications between the two study groups.
Conclusion. The combination of EPC and CSFD was effective in lowering the incidence of postoperative spinal cord injury in the repair of extent I and II thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.