Neurosurgical review
-
Neurosurgical review · Jan 2008
Intraoperative monitoring of lower cranial nerves in skull base surgery: technical report and review of 123 monitored cases.
The fundamental goal of skull base surgery is tumor removal with preservation of neurological function. Injury to the lower cranial nerves (LCN; CN 9-12) profoundly affects a patient's quality of life. Although intraoperative cranial nerve monitoring (IOM) is widely practiced for other cranial nerves, literature addressing the LCN is scant. ⋯ It can also help identify the course of a nerve in patients with severely distorted anatomy. These factors may facilitate gross total tumor resection with cranial nerve preservation. The incidence of high false positive and negative CMAP and the variability in CMAP amplitude and threshold can vary depending on individual and technical factors.