Expert consensus on standardized intraoperative neuroelectro- physiological monitoring during spinal surgery

English Abstract:

  Intraoperative neurophysiology monitoring (IONM) can measure the integrity of spinal cord function, and provide essential information for surgical safety. This paper is to propose a set of practical technical specifications for IONM clinical application in spine surgery. With consideration of relative norms and recently reported results, a consensus-based survey and discussion were conducted among a group of senior and experienced spine surgeons. A clinical guideline of IONM was suggested with consensus, which described the technical requirements and practical guideline of various monitoring techniques, including somatosensory evoked potentials, motor evoked potentials and electromyography. It elaborates the basic principle of IONM in different spinal surgeries. The draft IONM guideline is the consensus of a group of senior and experienced spine surgeons. It will greatly promote the application of IONM in spine surgery, providing a useful tool to enhance the safety of spinal operation.