Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring is a valuable tool to preserve spinal cord and spinal root integrity during surgical procedures. A monitoring plan may include somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP), motor evoked potentials (MEP), compound muscle action potentials (CMAP), and electromyography (EMG). Such monitoring is individualized depending on the preoperative clinical deficit, the structures most at risk, and the surgical and anesthesia plan. The most common use of these techniques is in primary spine disease, where the spinal cord pathways will typically be monitored with both MEP and SEP. In cervical or lumbar spine surgeries, EMG monitoring will help protect the nerve root either during decompression or during pedicle screw placement. Monitoring during spinal cord tumor resection or vascular procedures (such as aortic aneurysm repair) not only helps prevent deficit, but also allows the surgeon to proceed with confidence and not unnecessarily terminate the procedure.
Increased Intraoperative Motor Evoked Potentials and Motor Recovery after Spinal Cord Tumor Removal