Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

Surgeon directed transcranial motor evoked potential spinal cord monitoring in spinal deformity surgery: A review of viability, safety and efficacy

Aims Spinal deformity surgery carries the risk of neurological injury. Neurophysiological monitoring allows early identification of intraoperative cord injury facilitating early intervention which has a better prognosis. Although multimodal monitoring is the ideal, resource constraints make surgeon...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Magampa, Ramanare
Other Authors: Dunn, Robert
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Division of Orthopaedic Surgery 2021
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867614371065102336
access_status_str Open Access
author Magampa, Ramanare
author2 Dunn, Robert
author_browse Dunn, Robert
Magampa, Ramanare
author_facet Dunn, Robert
Magampa, Ramanare
author_sort Magampa, Ramanare
collection Thesis
description Aims Spinal deformity surgery carries the risk of neurological injury. Neurophysiological monitoring allows early identification of intraoperative cord injury facilitating early intervention which has a better prognosis. Although multimodal monitoring is the ideal, resource constraints make surgeon directed intra-operative transcranial motor evoked potential (TcMEP) monitoring a useful compromise. Our experience using surgeon directed TcMEP is presented in terms of viability, safety and efficacy. Methods A retrospective review was performed on a single surgeon's prospectively maintained database from 2010 to 2017 where TcMEP monitoring was utilised. The upper limbs were used as the control. A true alert was recorded when there was a 50% or more loss of amplitude of the lower limbs with maintained upper limb signals. Patients with true alerts were identified and their case history analysed. Results Of the 299 cases were reviewed, 279 (93.3%) had acceptable traces throughout and awoke with normal clinical neurological function. No case with normal traces had a post-operative clinical neurological deficit. True alerts occurred in 20 (6.7%) cases. The alert group diagnoses included adolescent idiopathic scoliosis 9 (45%) and congenital scoliosis 6 (30%). The incidence of deterioration based on diagnosis AIS was 9/153 (6%), congenital 6/30 (20%) and TB spine 2/16 (12.5%). Deterioration in congenital is much more common (p=0.02) when compared to AIS. 65% of alerts occurred during rod instrumentation and 15% during decompression of the internal apex in vertebral column resection surgery. 4 (20%) alert cases awoke with clinically detectable neurological compromise Conclusion Surgeon directed TcMEP monitoring has a 100% negative predictive value and allows early identification of physiological cord distress and immediate intervention. In resource constrained environments, surgeon directed TcMEP is a viable and effective method of intra-operative spinal cord monitoring. Clinical relevance • Surgeon directed TcMEP monitoring has a 100% negative predictive value. • In resource constrained environments, surgeon directed TcMEP is viable and effective • Level 3 evidence
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/32793
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:50:58.636Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2021
publishDateRange 2021
publishDateSort 2021
publisher Division of Orthopaedic Surgery
publisherStr Division of Orthopaedic Surgery
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/32793 Surgeon directed transcranial motor evoked potential spinal cord monitoring in spinal deformity surgery: A review of viability, safety and efficacy Magampa, Ramanare Dunn, Robert Orthopaedics Aims Spinal deformity surgery carries the risk of neurological injury. Neurophysiological monitoring allows early identification of intraoperative cord injury facilitating early intervention which has a better prognosis. Although multimodal monitoring is the ideal, resource constraints make surgeon directed intra-operative transcranial motor evoked potential (TcMEP) monitoring a useful compromise. Our experience using surgeon directed TcMEP is presented in terms of viability, safety and efficacy. Methods A retrospective review was performed on a single surgeon's prospectively maintained database from 2010 to 2017 where TcMEP monitoring was utilised. The upper limbs were used as the control. A true alert was recorded when there was a 50% or more loss of amplitude of the lower limbs with maintained upper limb signals. Patients with true alerts were identified and their case history analysed. Results Of the 299 cases were reviewed, 279 (93.3%) had acceptable traces throughout and awoke with normal clinical neurological function. No case with normal traces had a post-operative clinical neurological deficit. True alerts occurred in 20 (6.7%) cases. The alert group diagnoses included adolescent idiopathic scoliosis 9 (45%) and congenital scoliosis 6 (30%). The incidence of deterioration based on diagnosis AIS was 9/153 (6%), congenital 6/30 (20%) and TB spine 2/16 (12.5%). Deterioration in congenital is much more common (p=0.02) when compared to AIS. 65% of alerts occurred during rod instrumentation and 15% during decompression of the internal apex in vertebral column resection surgery. 4 (20%) alert cases awoke with clinically detectable neurological compromise Conclusion Surgeon directed TcMEP monitoring has a 100% negative predictive value and allows early identification of physiological cord distress and immediate intervention. In resource constrained environments, surgeon directed TcMEP is a viable and effective method of intra-operative spinal cord monitoring. Clinical relevance • Surgeon directed TcMEP monitoring has a 100% negative predictive value. • In resource constrained environments, surgeon directed TcMEP is viable and effective • Level 3 evidence 2021-02-05T08:20:46Z 2021-02-05T08:20:46Z 2020 2021-02-04T22:41:15Z Master Thesis Masters MMed http://hdl.handle.net/11427/32793 eng application/pdf Division of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty of Health Sciences
spellingShingle Orthopaedics
Magampa, Ramanare
Surgeon directed transcranial motor evoked potential spinal cord monitoring in spinal deformity surgery: A review of viability, safety and efficacy
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Surgeon directed transcranial motor evoked potential spinal cord monitoring in spinal deformity surgery: A review of viability, safety and efficacy
title_full Surgeon directed transcranial motor evoked potential spinal cord monitoring in spinal deformity surgery: A review of viability, safety and efficacy
title_fullStr Surgeon directed transcranial motor evoked potential spinal cord monitoring in spinal deformity surgery: A review of viability, safety and efficacy
title_full_unstemmed Surgeon directed transcranial motor evoked potential spinal cord monitoring in spinal deformity surgery: A review of viability, safety and efficacy
title_short Surgeon directed transcranial motor evoked potential spinal cord monitoring in spinal deformity surgery: A review of viability, safety and efficacy
title_sort surgeon directed transcranial motor evoked potential spinal cord monitoring in spinal deformity surgery a review of viability safety and efficacy
topic Orthopaedics
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/32793
work_keys_str_mv AT magamparamanare surgeondirectedtranscranialmotorevokedpotentialspinalcordmonitoringinspinaldeformitysurgeryareviewofviabilitysafetyandefficacy