Systematic overview of the evidence supporting the use of cerebrospinal fluid drainage in thoracoabdominal aneurysm surgery for prevention of paraplegia

Abstract

The benefit of cerebrospinal fluid drainage in thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysm surgery for reducing postoperative paraplegia remains unanswered due to inadequate evidence and methodologic deficiencies in the trials performed to date. To determine the clinical utility of cerebrospinal fluid drainage, the authors recommend a large, prospective, multicenter, randomized trial with blinded assessment.