Evaluation of pentoxifylline in experimental spinal cord ischemia.

Despite the advance of anesthesia and surgery, postoperative neurological dysfunction has remained a challenging problem after descending and thoracoabdominal aortic surgery. The pathophysiology of early and especially late paraplegia is not clearly understood. The effect of pentoxifylline (PTX), an agent known to inhibit in vitro neutrophil activation and improve recovery after cerebral ischemia in animals, was investigated on spinal cord protection.