Background
neurological damage, neurologic injury
NEUROMUSCULAR BLOCKADE, CORTEX
Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IOM) is frequently used during spinal surgeries that carry the risk of neurological damage. Real-time detection of compromised nerve function by IOM gives the surgeon an opportunity to address possible causes and avoid permanent injury. Transcranial motor evoked potentials (TceMEPs) are muscle action potentials elicited by transcranial brain stimulation and have been the most widely used method of IOM because of their high sensitivity for detecting neurologic injury. Electrical stimulation applied over the motor cortex allows compound motor action potentials to be recorded peripherally [Neuromuscular blockade (NMB) acts at the neuromuscular junction and leads to a dramatic loss of TceMEP signals. For most cases requiring TceMEPs, the use of NMB is omitted after intubation [