Planned Staged Repair of Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms to Minimize Spinal Cord Injury: A Proof of Concept.

Management of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAA) can lead to spinal cord injury. A variety of clinical adjuncts have proven to decrease the incidence of paraplegia; however, at least 10% patients remain at risk of developing paraplegia. Experimentally and in sporadic clinical experiences, the staged repair of TAAs can lead to better neurologic outcomes. We present two clinical cases with extensive TAA in which a deliberate staged repair leads to excellent neurologic outcomes.