Open AccessSomatosensory Evoked Potential Monitoring of Spinal Cord Ischemia during Aortic Operations
Author(s) -
Barry Kaplan,
William A. Friedman,
James A. Alexander,
S. Hampson
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
neurosurgery/neurosurgery online
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.485
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1081-1281
pISSN - 0148-396X
DOI - 10.1227/00006123-198607000-00012
Subject(s) - medicine , somatosensory evoked potential , spinal cord , ischemia , evoked potential , anesthesia , aorta , pathophysiology , cardiology , audiology , psychiatry
Somatosensory evoked potentials were monitored in 22 consecutive patients undergoing surgical correction of an aortic coarctation. Induction of spinal cord ischemia by cross clamping of the aorta elicited a change in the evoked potential in 9 patients (41%). These alterations occurred within 5 minutes of aortic clamping in 3 cases and after 18 to 21 minutes in the remaining 6 cases. Loss of the somatosensory evoked potential for more than 14 minutes was associated with postoperative neurological deficit. Alteration of the evoked potential within 5 minutes of aortic cross clamping was significantly related to poor collateral circulation shown on the preoperative aortogram. The pathophysiology of evoked potential changes in spinal ischemia is discussed in detail.