Appropriate Spinal Cord Monitoring during Aortic Repair

In contrast to both SSEPs and Descending Neurogenic Spinal Cord EPs, muscle responses to stimulation of the motor cortex (known as Transcranial Motor Evoked Potentials or TcMEPs) are mediated solely by the corticospinal tract and offer a rapid detection of spinal cord ischemia attributed to loss of perfusion to the anterior spinal artery. TcMEPs are the safe, effective and preferred method of monitoring spinal cord motor function during the open surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. This technique is useful for localization of the critical segmental arteries and for detection of ischemia throughout the procedure.