Intraoperative Neuromonitoring During Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Objective To review the evidence for the use of electromyography (EMG), motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), and somatosensory-evoked potentials (SSEPs) intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) strategies during lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF), as well as discuss the limitations associated with each...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ram Alluri, Jung Kee Mok, Avani Vaishnav, Tara Shelby, Ahilan Sivaganesan, Raymond Hah, Sheeraz A. Qureshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korean Spinal Neurosurgery Society 2021-09-01
Series:Neurospine
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.e-neurospine.org/upload/pdf/ns-2142440-220.pdf
Description
Summary:Objective To review the evidence for the use of electromyography (EMG), motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), and somatosensory-evoked potentials (SSEPs) intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) strategies during lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF), as well as discuss the limitations associated with each technique. Methods A comprehensive review of the literature and compilation of findings relating to clinical studies investigating the efficacy of EMG, MEP, SSEP, or combined IONM strategies during LLIF. Results The evidence for the use of EMG is mixed with some studies demonstrating the efficacy of EMG in preventing postoperative neurologic injuries and other studies demonstrating a high rate of postoperative neurologic deficits with EMG monitoring. Multimodal IONM strategies utilizing MEPs or saphenous SSEPs to monitor the lumbar plexus may be promising strategies based on results from a limited number of studies. Conclusion The use of traditional EMG during LLIF remains without consensus. There is a growing body of evidence utilizing multimodal IONM with MEPs or saphenous SSEPs demonstrating a possible decrease in postoperative neurologic injuries after LLIF. Future prospective studies, with clear definitions of neurologic injury, that evaluate different multimodal IONM strategies are needed to better assess the efficacy of IONM during LLIF.
ISSN:2586-6583
2586-6591