Application Of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials Monitoring In The Surgery Of Intracranial Aneurysm

Objective: To explore the roles of somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP)monitoring in the microsurgery of intracranial aneurysm.Methods: SSEP monitoring was performed in22patients at the department ofneurosurgery in Tongji Hospital, affiliated to Huazhong University of Science andTechnology. After operation, all patients had CT scanning within24hours and CTAwithin3-4days after operation. The neurological functions were assessed routinely.Results: All patients but one were monitored successfully.3patients hadsignificant SSEP changes during the operations, which were reported to the surgeon.One patient, whose SSEP changes recovered partially after intervention, experiencedpostoperatively hemiplegia and had infarction demonstrated by postoperative CTscanning. The others whose SSEP changes recovered to the level of baseline had noinfarction, but one patient felt weakness in the right extremities.3patients had noSSEP changes, while2of them had infarction and the other had abnormalneurological function.Conclusion: The SSEP monitoring is effective for the surgery of intracranialaneurysm, and it is a safe, simple and non-invasive intraoperative monitoring method.It is helpful to determine the temporary occlusion and inappropriate clipping.