Paraplegia following percutaneous insertion of an intra-aortic balloon.
Paraplegia following insertion of an intra-aortic balloon is an extremely rare and unusual complication with only one previous report in the literature. We recently encountered this problem in a man with severe coronary disease and unstable angina. The etiology of this complication, although never established in our patient, was most likely a critical occlusion of a spinal cord artery as a result of either a small dissection or an arterial embolus.
D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000601:surgery; D001243:Assisted Circulation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007423:Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumping / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000209:etiology*