Clinical effectiveness of dermatomal evoked cerebrally recorded somatosensory responses

Among 129 patients with spine pain and radiculopathy in both the cervical and lumbar region, there were significant differences between the upper and lower extremity DSER groups, noting the higher number of normal studies by our criteria in the upper extremities as compared to the lower extremities. This difference may be due to the intertwining of the "nerve circuitry" of the input pathways. It appears that the dermatomal somatosensory evoked response is a study of low sensitivity and of high specificity.