Clinical Programs, Conditions, and Case Presentations

Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring

Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) assists in protecting the brain and spinal cord by providing information regarding the status of the nervous system to the surgical team in real time. Monitoring is accomplished by recording spontaneous or elicited electrical signals from brain, spinal cord, cranial and peripheral nerves, and muscle during surgery. The recordings aid in the identification of neural tissue and warn of impending injury, thus permitting corrective action to be taken while the patient is still in the operating room. IONM is also performed on patients with movement disorders who are undergoing surgery for the implantation of deep brain stimulating (DBS) electrodes. During these surgeries the monitoring team records the activity of single brain cells in and around the target area. The activity of single cells varies from one brain area to another, and the intraoperative recordings assist the surgeon in the correct placement of the DBS electrodes.