Infrarenal aortic aneurysm and spinal cord ischaemia. A new case and review of the literature.

Surgery of the infrarenal aorta rarely gives rise to medullary lesions. This can happen however, most often after treatment of a ruptured aneurysm. We present a new case of spinal cord ischaemia following resection of an infrarenal aneurysm. Among the different factors playing a role in this fearsome and unpredictable complication, hypotension seems to be one of the most important. Different aspects of this complication are discussed in the light of our clinical case as well as a review of the literature.