Evaluation Of Intra-Operative Neuro-Monitoring Alarm During Complex Spine Surgery

Iatrogenic spinal cord injury is the most feared complication of complex spine surgery. The incidence of neurological complications for spinal deformity surgery has been estimated by the Scoliosis Research Society as 1%, except when a combined approach is used, where the rate increases to 1.87% \[1\]. Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) techniques are usually implemented during spine surgery to avoid nefarious abuse of the nervous system, which can cause postoperative problem \[2\]. In 1992 a Scoliosis Research Society study concluded that the use of intraoperative spinal cord neurophysiological monitoring during operative procedures including instrumentation should be considered ''a viable alternative as well as an adjunct to the use of the wake-up test during spinal surgery'' \[5\]. The benefit of using neuromonitoring has been validated by numerous studies involving scoliosis correction, revision surgeries and vertebral osteotomies.