Loss of evoked potentials during spinal surgery due to spinal cord hemorrhage.
The cortical somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) disappeared during corrective spinal surgery in a patient with muscular dystrophy. The patient died 18 hours after surgery. Autopsy revealed an intramedullary hemorrhage 4 mm in diameter in the posterior horn of the cervical spinal cord. Microscopically, hypoxic neurons were seen adjacent to the hemorrhagic area, implying that the lesion was at least 6 hours old. The hemorrhage corresponded to the loss of SEPs and confirms that spinal cord monitoring can detect such lesions.
Shukla
R
R
Wessex Neurological Centre, General Hospital, Southampton, UK.
Docherty
T B
TB
Jackson
R K
RK
Weller
R O
RO
Sedgwick
E M
EM
D000293:Adolescent; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000150:complications; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013131:Spine / Q000601:surgery*