Preventing long-term side effects from stent surgery

The role of inflammation in the development of spinal cord ischaemia after thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair (Dr James Kelly)

Aneurysms (swellings) in the aorta, the body’s main blood vessel, are often treated with stents. Sometimes stents can block branches of blood vessels supplying blood to the spinal cord, and in 10% of these cases, this interruption in blood-flow can cause partial paralysis or permanent weakness in a person’s legs. Little is known about why or how this happens. But studies in animals have suggested inflammation may play a role. Mr Modarai conducted an initial study looking at inflammation in those treated with stents. He found a link between the number of immune cells and a hormone called leptin with the onset of paralysis. In this fellowship, he will carry out a more in-depth analysis of changes in immune cells and markers of inflammation in spinal fluid over time in a larger group of people treated with stents. Once these observational studies are completed, they will study the onset of paralysis in rats to further understand why treatment with stents can have these complications. It is hoped that the project will lay the foundations for development of a treatment that could make stent surgery safer for people needing this vital treatment.