title: Motor evoked potentials in thoracoabdominal aortic surgery: CON.
abstract: Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) have a dismal natural history that frequently necessitates surgical repair, but such repairs sometimes result in paraplegia and paraparesis. To reduce the risk of these complications, intraoperative monitoring of spinal cord motor evoked potentials (MEPs) can be used to guide TAAA repair procedures and may potentially minimize spinal cord ischemia. However, the use of MEP monitoring techniques requires important changes to anesthetic management, entails certain risks, and has important contraindications.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, BCM 390, Houston, TX 77030, USA. jcoselli@bcm.edu
authors.forename: Joseph S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Coselli
authors.forename: Peter I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000601:surgery*; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology*; D005112:Extracorporeal Circulation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*