ISCHEMIC SPINAL-CORD INJURY FOLLOWING A CORONARY ANGIOGRAM - A CASE-REPORT

A 50 year old man was undergoing a coronary angiogram in preparation f or possible cardiac bypass surgery at Queen Alia Heart Institute (QAHI ) in King Hussein Medical Centre (KHMC) in Amman, Jordan. At the end o f the procedure, he suddenly developed low back pain and weakness of b oth lower limbs. Neurological examination revealed incomplete parapleg ia below L1 with urinary retention. Urgent MRI scan suggested ischaemi a of the lower part of the spinal cord. Literature search revealed tha t no such complication of this procedure, which is a common investigat ion in cardiac centres, has, to date, been reported. The possible caus es of this patient's paraplegia are discussed.