The effect of positive changes during intraoperative monitoring of the functional improvement in patients with cervical compressive myelopathy

Cervical compressive myelopathy (CCM) is a condition where the spinal cord in the neck is compressed, leading to dysfunction. This study investigates whether improvements seen during surgery, using intraoperative monitoring (IOM), correlate with functional recovery in CCM patients. The researchers monitored patients during spinal surgery using motor evoked potentials (MEP) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP). They looked for 'positive changes' in these signals and then assessed the patients' motor skills and daily living activities before and after surgery. The study found that patients with positive changes in MEP during surgery showed better functional improvement one month after the operation. However, this difference disappeared after six months, and neuropathic pain was common regardless of the changes observed during surgery.

• 1
  Patients with positive changes in MEP during IOM showed significantly higher improvement in ASIA motor score and K-MBI at 1 month after surgery compared to those without positive changes.
• 2
  There were no significant differences in improvement rate in ASIA motor score and K-MBI between the two groups 6 months after surgery.
• 3
  Regardless of positive change, nearly all patients suffered from neuropathic pain at 6 months after operation.