Journal of neurosurgical anesthesiology
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jan 2018
The Correlation Between Recordable MEPs and Motor Function During Spinal Surgery for Resection of Thoracic Spinal Cord Tumor.
Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) are commonly used during surgery for spinal cord tumor resection. However, it can be difficult to record reliable MEPs from the muscles of the lower extremities during surgery in patients with preoperative weakness due to spinal cord compression. In this study, motor function of patients' lower extremities and their association with intraoperative MEP recording were compared. ⋯ The ability to record myogenic MEPs is closely associated with the patient's motor function. They are difficult to obtain if motor function is 3/5 motor strength in the lower extremity. They are almost impossible to record if motor function is worse than 3/5.