Cholesterol crystal embolism and delayed-onset paraplegia after thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair.

Postoperative paraplegia caused by ischemic injury of the spinal cord is the most disabling complication of thoracoabdominal surgery. We described the case of a 75-year-old patient who underwent a thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair (type IV aneurysm according to Crawford classification). The aorta clamping was done at the T11 level without specific medullary protection. The first postoperative week was uneventful. On the postoperative day 8, renal failure and livedo of the left lower limb occurred together with complete hypotonic paraplegia and severe sepsis. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a gangrenous cholecystitis, and skin biopsies showed cholesterol crystals embolisms in the hypodermis small arteries. The patient died on the postoperative day 28 from a multiorgan failure. In this case, paraplegia was due to cholesterol crystal embolism, which migrated secondarily after aortic clamping.