Transcranial Motor Evoked Potentials during Spinal Deformity Corrections—Safety, Efficacy, Limitations, and the Role of a Checklist

[摘要] IntroductionIntraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) has become a standard of care in spinal deformity surgeries to minimize the incidence of new onset neurological deficit. Stagnara wake up test and ankle clonus test are the oldest techniques described for spinal cord monitoring, but they cannot be solely relied upon as a neuromonitoring modality. Somatosensory evoked potentials monitor only dorsal tracts and give high false positive and negative alerts. Transcranial motor evoked potentials (TcMEPs) monitor the more useful motor pathways. The purpose of our study was to report the safety, efficacy, limitations of TcMEPs in spine deformity surgeries, and the role of a checklist.

[学科分类] 外科医学

[关键词] motor evoked potentials;neuromonitoring;spine deformities;transcranial evoked potentials;deformity correction