[Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring of the spinal cord: our experience]

The main objective of intraoperative monitoring of the spinal cord is to detect any neurological damage that may occur (and which would otherwise go unnoticed) while it is still reversible.

To retrospectively evaluate the effectiveness of neurophysiological monitoring in spine and spinal cord surgery since the time such procedures were first implemented within our centre.

The patients were divided into three groups, according to their pathologies. They were clinically evaluated with the McCormick scale before surgery, on discharge from hospital and at six months after the operation. Neurophysiological monitoring was performed with motor evoked potentials, somatosensory potentials and screw stimulation, when appropriate.

The sample finally consisted of 49 subjects, with a mean age of 51 +/- 19.4 years. Distribution by groups was 53.1% spinal cord tumours, 22.4% traumatic injuries to the spinal cord and 24.5% bone/disc pathologies. During surgery potentials improved in 4.08% of patients, in 63.26% they remained intact, 20.41% were alerted by the neurophysiologist with intact potentials, 10.2% suffered a transitory decline and in one case there was permanent loss. All the patients who were submitted to a follow-up at six months displayed a clinical status that was the same or better than the one before their operation.

Neurophysiological monitoring is a valuable tool that prevented, in 30.61% of our patients, damage that could otherwise have occurred. From the clinical point of view, its high predictive value is also worth highlighting.