Journal of clinical neurophysiology : official publication of the American Electroencephalographic Society
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J Clin Neurophysiol · Dec 2015
Clinical Usefulness of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials for Detection of Peripheral Nerve and Brachial Plexus Injury Secondary to Malpositioning in Microvascular Decompression.
Neurologic injury secondary to positioning is a significant perioperative problem and a common cause of patient injury in the practice of surgery. Somatosensory evoked potentials' (SSEPs) monitoring has also been noted useful in evaluating upper extremity conduction changes related to positioning. The purpose of this article was to evaluate the effectiveness of intermittent monitoring of SSEPs, which detects peripheral nerve and brachial plexus injury caused by malpositioning during microvascular decompression (MVD). This article will also discuss the etiology and pathogenesis of nerve injury after MVD and the means to prevent them. ⋯ When positioning the patient for MVD with lateral position, careful attention should be paid to both the dependent (lower) arm extremities and the upper shoulders to prevent peripheral nerve injury. Additional precautions should be taken if the patient has a low body mass index or diabetes. Continuous intraoperative SSEP monitoring of ulnar/median nerve function is a valid and useful technique to minimize intraoperative neurologic injuries during surgery.
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J Clin Neurophysiol · Dec 2015
Case ReportsVasculopathy, Ischemia, and the Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion Surgery: Report of Three Cases.
Multi-modal neurophysiologic monitoring consisting of triggered and spontaneous electromyography and transcranial motor-evoked potentials may detect and prevent both acute and slow developing mechanical and vascular nerve injuries in lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) surgery. In case report 1, a marked reduction in the transcranial motor-evoked potentials on the operative side alerted to a 28% decrease in mean arterial blood pressure in a 54-year-old woman during an L3-4, L4-5 LLIF. After hemodynamic stability was regained, transcranial motor-evoked potentials returned to baseline and the patient suffered no postoperative complications. ⋯ In case report 3, the loss of right quadriceps motor-evoked potentials detected a retractor related nerve injury in a 59-year-old man undergoing an L4-5 LLIF. The surgery was aborted, but the patient suffered persistent postoperative right leg paresthesia and weakness. These reports highlight the sensitivity of peripheral nerve elements to ischemia (particularly in the presence of vascular risk factors) during the LLIF procedure and the need for dynamic multi-modal intraoperative monitoring.
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J Clin Neurophysiol · Aug 2015
Diagnostic Accuracy of Electrographic Seizure Detection by Neurophysiologists and Non-Neurophysiologists in the Adult ICU Using a Panel of Quantitative EEG Trends.
To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a panel of quantitative EEG (qEEG) trends for seizure detection in adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients when reviewed by neurophysiologists and non-neurophysiologists. ⋯ Quantitative EEG display panels are a promising tool to aid detection of seizures by non-neurophysiologists as well as by neurophysiologists. However, even when used as a panel, qEEG trends do not appear to be adequate as the sole method for reviewing continuous EEG data.