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ArticleChild's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery2024

Intraoperative neuromonitoring and mapping during spinal cord untethering surgery; a single-centre paediatric neurosurgery unit experience.

William M McDevitt, Fardad T Afshari, Pasquale Gallo, Laura Quinn, Darren Martin-Lamb, Joshua Pepper, William B Lo, Desiderio Rodrigues, Guirish A Solanki

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Article in Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

William M McDevittDepartment of Neurophysiology, Birmingham Women and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6NH, UK. w.mcdevitt@nhs.net.
Fardad T AfshariDepartment of Neurosurgery, Birmingham Women and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
Pasquale GalloDepartment of Neurosurgery, Birmingham Women and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
Laura QuinnInstitute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Darren Martin-LambDepartment of Neurophysiology, Birmingham Women and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6NH, UK.
Joshua PepperDepartment of Neurosurgery, Birmingham Women and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
William B LoDepartment of Neurosurgery, Birmingham Women and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
Desiderio RodriguesDepartment of Neurosurgery, Birmingham Women and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
Guirish A SolankiDepartment of Neurosurgery, Birmingham Women and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.

Funding

National Institute for Health and Care Research NIHR302896
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeA review of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) and mapping (IONMa) utility during paediatric tethered cord surgery with particular attention to feasibility, measures to prevent injury, and postoperative outcome.

methodsA retrospective analysis of spinal cord untethering surgery between 2015 and 2022 was carried out. Cohort demographics, IONM and IONMa data, and procedural details were summarised and associations between variables explored. Clinical outcome was assessed 3-months post procedure via review of medical records.

resultsOne hundred and twenty-two patients (median age: 3 years old: IQR: 2-9, 61% female) underwent surgery. The most common diagnosis was thickened filum (n = 59, 48%). Urological dysfunction was the most common presenting complaint (62%). Electromyography (EMG), motor evoked potentials (MEP), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP), and bulbocavernosus reflexes (BCR) were successfully recorded in 100%, 99%, 90%, and 73% patients. Unsuccessful BCR monitoring only occurred in females (p < 0.001). The Triggered-EMG protocol identified nerve rootlets adhered to the filum or tethering structure in 16% of the cohort. Alert criteria breaches (> 30-50% reduction in SSEP, > 80% reduction in MEP amplitude, absent BCR) occurred in 13 patients (11%). These alert criteria breaches were reversed in 11 (85%) with no permanent neurological deficits. In 2 (15%), alerts were irreversible, and one developed a permanent neurological deficit. Signs and symptoms of tethered cord had either stabilised (≥ 64%), improved (≥ 20%), or worsened (≤ 4%) at 3-month postoperative review.

conclusionIONM and IONMa are useful and effective tools in monitoring and identifying neural tissue, which can guide safe cord untethering and lipoma resection. Our results validate IONM and IONMa in surgery for cord untethering.

Indexed as

Intraoperative Neurophysiological MonitoringNeural Tube DefectsNeurosurgical ProceduresChildChild, PreschoolElectromyographyEvoked Potentials, MotorEvoked Potentials, SomatosensoryFemaleHumansInfantMaleRetrospective StudiesElectrophysiologyPaediatricSpinal dysraphismTethered cord syndrome

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.