[Intraoperative monitoring of the brain and spinal cord ischemia during thoracic aortic surgery].

Thoracic aortic surgery still involves a significant risk of neurological complications including stroke and paraplegia, associated with high morbidity and mortality. Intraoperative monitoring of the brain and the spinal cord ischemia, such as 4-channel cerebral In Vivo Optical Spectroscopy (INVOS) and myogenic transcranial motor evoked potentials (MEP), may enable us to prevent the devastating complications by prompt and proper intraoperative management. This review describes our standard methods for these procedures during thoracic aortic surgery.