Percutaneous flexible bipolar epidural neuroelectrode for spinal cord stimulation. Technical note

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Biomedical Engineering
• Neurophysiology

Background:

• Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) requires precise electrode placement.
• Monitoring spinal cord function during surgery is crucial to prevent ischemia.
• Existing neuroelectrode technologies may have limitations in flexibility and percutaneous insertion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel flexible bipolar neuroelectrode for epidural SCS.
• To evaluate the neuroelectrode's utility in recording cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs).
• To assess the neuroelectrode's capability in identifying intraoperative spinal cord ischemia.

Main Methods:

• Percutaneous insertion of a flexible bipolar neuroelectrode into the epidural space.
• Recording of cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) in dogs and monkeys.
• Induction of aortic occlusion to create periods of potential spinal cord ischemia.
• Analysis of SSEP changes to detect intraoperative spinal cord ischemia.

Main Results:

• The flexible bipolar neuroelectrode was successfully inserted percutaneously.
• Cortical SSEPs were reliably recorded using the new neuroelectrode.
• Changes in SSEPs correlated with periods of aortic occlusion, indicating successful identification of spinal cord ischemia.

Conclusions:

• The novel flexible bipolar neuroelectrode is suitable for epidural spinal cord stimulation.
• This neuroelectrode facilitates real-time monitoring of spinal cord function via SSEP recording.
• The device offers a promising tool for identifying and potentially preventing intraoperative spinal cord ischemia during vascular surgery.