Spinal Surgery With Electrically Evoked Potential Monitoring and Monopolar Electrocautery: Is Prior Removal of a Cochlear Implant Necessary?

Spinal Surgery With Electrically Evoked Potential Monitoring and Monopolar Electrocautery: Is Prior Removal of a Cochlear Implant Necessary?

Otol Neurotol. 2018 Oct 26;:

Authors: Studer D, Stieger C, Reichlin CJ, Terrier A, Allum JHJ

Abstract
: Transcranial electric stimulation to generate motor evoked potentials in lower limb muscles is the standard technique used to monitor spinal cord efferent pathways during surgical correction for spinal deformities. Monopolar electrical cauterization is also used by default in the thoracic and lumbar area of the spine during this kind of surgery to prevent major blood loss. Owing to the high levels of current used, both techniques are considered contraindicative if the patient has a cochlear implant (CI). Here, we present a CI patient who underwent corrective spinal fusion surgery for a severe kyphoscoliotic spinal deformity on whom both techniques were used without any negative effects on the CI function. A major improvement in sagittal body balance was achieved with no loss in implant-aided hearing levels. These results add to reports that CI manufactures should review their evidence underlying recommendations that transcranial electric stimulation and upper thoracic monopolar electrical cauterization are high risk for CI users, possibly initiating verification studies.This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal. https://ift.tt/OBJ4xP.

PMID: 30371634 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader https://ift.tt/2RpYsyw
via IFTTT