Preventing Spinal Cord Injury in Single-Staged Juxtarenal and Thoracoabdominal Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair: An Evaluation of Cerebrospinal Fluid Catheter Drainage

This study highlights the effectiveness of cerebrospinal fluid drainage (CSFD) in reducing spinal cord injury (SCI) rates from 12.4% to 4.1% during single-staged complex endovascular repair of juxtarenal and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. Implementing CSFD within a standardized protocol achieved a 99.7% target visceral and renal vessel patency without major CSFD-related bleeding complications. These findings emphasize CSFD as a feasible and effective tool for SCI prevention in selected high-risk patients. While supporting on-demand catheter placement, this study underscores the potential of selective prophylactic CSFD use, contributing to safer, evidence-based strategies in managing high-risk aortic repairs.