Multilevel somatosensory evoked potentials and cerebrospinal proteins: indicators of spinal cord injury in thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm surgery

Abstract

Peroperative multilevel SSEP has a high specificity in detecting spinal cord ischemia but does not identify all patients with a postoperative vulnerable spinal cord. Biochemical markers in CSF increase too late for intraoperative monitoring but GFAp is promising for identifying patients at risk for postoperative delayed paraplegia.