title: Comparison of dermatomal SEPs and operative findings in lumbar disc disease.
abstract: This report deals with an estimation of the diagnostic value of dermatomal somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs), by correlating the neurophysiological data to clinical, neuroradiological and operative findings in lumbar disc protrusion. Our material consists of 12, surgically treated patients with lumbar disc protrusion in which diagnostic work up included history, neurological examination, routine lumbar spine films, computerised tomography and MRI of the lumbar spine, in addition to neurophysiological investigation, especially conduction velocity studies, and SEPs recorded by the standard methods, as well as after dermatomal stimulation. The retrospective analysis disclosed a correlation for the SEPs after dermatomal stimulation and surgical findings, in 83% of our cases.
authors.affiliation: B Neurosurgical Department, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tsonidis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tsitsopoulos
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sitzoglou
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hadjiioannou
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fotiou
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Anagnostopoulos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed