• Masahiro Funaba, Tsukasa Kanchiku, Go Yoshida, Shiro Imagama, Shigenori Kawabata, Yasushi Fujiwara, Muneharu Ando, Kei Yamada, Shinichirou Taniguchi, Hiroshi Iwasaki, Nobuaki Tadokoro, Masahito Takahashi, Kanichiro Wada, Naoya Yamamoto, Hideki Shigematsu, Kazuyoshi Kobayashi, Akimasa Yasuda, Hiroki Ushirozako, Kei Ando, Jun Hashimoto, Shinji Morito, Tsunenori Takatani, Toshikazu Tani, and Yukihiro Matsuyama.
• Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan.
• Spine. 2022 Jan 1; 47 (1): E27E37E27-E37.

Study DesignA prospective multicenter observational study.ObjectiveTo elucidate the efficacy of transcranial motor-evoked potentials (Tc(E)-MEPs) in degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) surgery by comparing cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) to cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) and investigate the timing of Tc(E)-MEPs alerts and types of interventions affecting surgical outcomes.Summary Of Background DataAlthough CSM and OPLL are the most commonly encountered diseases of DCM, the benefits of Tc(E)-MEPs for DCM remain unclear and comparisons of these two diseases have not yet been conducted.MethodsWe examined the results of Tc(E)-MEPs from 1176 DCM cases (840 CSM /336 OPLL) and compared patients background by disease, preoperative motor deficits, and the type of surgical procedure. We also assessed the efficacy of interventions based on Tc(E)-MEPs alerts. Tc(E)-MEPs alerts were defined as an amplitude reduction of more than 70% below the control waveform. Rescue cases were defined as those in which waveform recovery was achieved after interventions in response to alerts and no postoperative paralysis.ResultsOverall sensitivity was 57.1%, and sensitivity was higher with OPLL (71.4%) than with CSM (42.9%). The sensitivity of acute onset segmental palsy including C5 palsy was 40% (OPLL/CSM: 66.7%/0%) whereas that of lower limb palsy was 100%. The most common timing of Tc(E)-MEPs alerts was during decompression (63.16%), followed by screw insertion (15.79%). The overall rescue rate was 57.9% (OPLL/CSM: 58.3%/57.1%).ConclusionSince Tc(E)-MEPs are excellent for detecting long tract injuries, surgeons need to consider appropriate interventions in response to alerts. The detection of acute onset segmental palsy by Tc(E)-MEPs was partially possible with OPLL, but may still be difficult with CSM. The rescue rate was higher than 50% and appropriate interventions may have prevented postoperative neurological complications.Level of Evidence: 3.Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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