Objective
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage is a technique that has significantly
reduced the incidence of spinal cord ischaemia (SCI). We present results of
a systematic review to assess the literature on this topic in relation to
thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair (TAAR).
Methods
Major medical databases were searched to identify papers related to CSF
biomarkers measured during TAAAR.
Results
Fifteen papers reported measurements of CSF biomarkers with 265 patients in
total. CSF biomarkers measured included S-100ß, neuron-specific
endolase (NSE), lactate, glial fibrillary acidic protein A (GFPa), Tau, heat
shock protein 70 and 27 (HSP70, HSP27), and proinflammatory cytokines.
Lactate and S-100ß were reported the most, but did not correlate with
SCI, which was also the case with NSE and TAU. GFPa showed significant CSF
level rises, both intra and postoperative in patients who suffered SCI and
warrants further investigation, similar results were seen with HSP70, HSP27
and IL-8.
Conclusions
Although there is significant interest in this topic, there still remains a
significant lack of high-quality studies investigating CSF biomarkers during
TAAR to detect SCI. A large and multicentre study is required to identify
the significant role of each biomarker.