Intraoperative monitoring of spinal cord SEPs during microsurgical DREZotomy (MDT) for pain, spasticity and hyperactive bladder.

Since 1972, MDT has been performed in 234 patients with chronic pain, 140 with hyperspasticity and 12 with hyperactive neurogenic bladder. In the last 64 patients, the evoked electrospinogram has been recorded intraoperatively from the surface of the spinal cord, to monitor the electrophysiological effects produced by the surgical lesioning, not only on the conduction of lemniscal fibers when entering the dorsal column, but also on the postsynaptic responses of the dorsal horn cells. The decrease in amplitude of the latter responses (N13 or N22) was well correlated with (1) the depth and the width of the DREZ lesion, and (2) the number of spinal segments operated on. In most cases, amplitude was reduced in the order of 2/3, which was considered the best value.