A study published in Spine investigated the use of intraoperative neuromonitoring for anterior cervical spine surgery.
Researchers performed a meta-analysis of 10 studies, inclusive of 26,357 patients. They measured the risk of neurological injury following ACSS with and without intraoperative neuromonitoring.
Here are seven observations:
1. Following ACSS, the weighted risk of neurological injury was 0.64 percent.
2. For anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, the weighted risk of neurological injury was 0.20 percent. Corpectomies' weighted risk of neurological injury was 1.02 percent.
3. Researchers found no difference in the risk of neurological injury with or without ION for ACDF patients.
4. The study revealed pooled sensitivities of ION for ACSS of 71 percent, and pooled specificities of ION of 98 percent.
5. While unimodal ION saw a higher specificity than multimodal ION, researchers found no significant difference in sensitivities between the two.
6. Researchers concluded the "risk of neurological injury after ACSS is low although procedures involving a corpectomy may carry a higher risk."
7. Since unimodal ION reflects a higher specificity than multimodal, it may "minimize 'subclinical' intraoperative alerts in ACSS," the researchers note.