[Neurophysiological monitoring during scoliosis surgery using controlled hypotension]

Controlled arterial hypotension understood to be a mean arterial pressure (MAP) between 55 and 60 mmHg is often used as a complementary technique in anesthesia even though it is not without complications and associated mortality even in young patients. During surgery to reduce scoliosis in a young boy, MAP fell to 60 mmHg accompanied by bilateral loss of sensory and motor evoked potentials (SEP and MEP). Detecting the absence of SEP and MEP allowed us to prevent medullar injury due to ischemia secondary to hypotension, once possible surgical or technical causes had been ruled out. We believe that monitoring SEP and MEP is useful not only to the surgeon but also to the anesthesiologist.