Somatosensory cortical evoked potentials: a review of 100 cases of intraoperative spinal surgery monitoring.

A review of our experience with evoked potential monitoring of over 100 spinal procedures is summarized here. Typical results of somatosensory cortical evoked potential (SCEP) testing found that latency of responses increased slightly and amplitude decreased substantially from preanesthesia to predistraction with no further changes. SCEP results are effected by many factors, but when they are understood and recognized, evoked potential monitoring can play a significant role in recognizing potential problems and preventing postoperative neurological problems in patients undergoing spinal surgery.