Management of segmental intercostal and lumbar arteries during descending and thoracoabdominal aneurysm repairs.

The etiology of spinal cord injury after descending or thoracoabdominal operation is multifactorial. There are three major events that may cause the injury. This review addresses the second, namely the operative management of the segmental intercostal and lumbar arteries. However, failure to address any of the etiological events may result in injury, and thus a multimodal approach is required to prevent spinal cord injury.