title: Somatosensory and magnetic evoked potentials in a postoperative paraparetic patient: case report.
abstract: Somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) testing is increasingly being used to test for spinal cord injuries and to monitor spinal surgery to reduce the risk of paraplegia. It is a sensory test, but it is assumed that any process severe enough to affect the motor tracts will also affect the sensory tracts and, therefore, be identified. Increasingly, however, isolated motor-tract involvement has been reported. A new technique, magnetic coil stimulation of the cortex, directly monitors the motor tracts. We report a case where the SSEP was normal although the magnetic motor-evoked potential was abnormal, supporting the hypothesis that direct testing of motor tracts may be advantageous.
authors.affiliation: Brown University Medical School, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008280:Magnetics; D008297:Male; D009087:Mucopolysaccharidosis VI / Q000150:complications; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000009:adverse effects*