Utility of Motor Evoked Potentials to Diagnose and Reduce Lower Extremity Motor Nerve Root Injuries During 4,386 Extradural Posterior Lumbosacral Spine Procedures

Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) have excellent sensitivity for monitoring the functional integrity of the lateral corticospinal tract of the spinal cord. The sensitivity for nerve root function, however, is not as well established; consequently, MEPs are often not utilized for posterior extradural spine procedures distal to the conus. Spontaneous electromyography (sEMG) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are often included for these procedures, but their limited sensitivity has been well documented.

Source: The Spine Journal - August 30, 2019 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: W. Bryan Wilent, Eric A. Tesdahl, James S. Harrop, William C. Welch, Andrew F. Cannestra, Kornelius A. Poelstra, Thomas Epplin-Zapf, Taylor Stivali, Jeffrey Cohen, Anthony K. Sestokas Tags: Clinical Study Source Type: research