Efficacy of Intraoperative Transcranial Motor Evoked Potential Monitoring in Cerebro-vascular Disease

We clinically examined the efficacy of motor evoked potential (MEP) by transcranial high-voltage electrical stimulation for intraoperative monitoring in cerebro-vascular disease. In 49 neurosurgical operations for cerebro-vascular disease, transcranial MEP (TCMEP) was recorded by 300-1000 V bipolar stimulation using the screw electrodes with the anode on the affected side. Surface electrodes for electromyographic responses were placed on the bilateral abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and bilateral abductor hallucis (AH) muscles. To remove effects of muscle relaxants on TCMEP, compound muscle action potential (CMAP) by supra-maximum stimulation of the median nerve 2 seconds after transcranial stimulation was recorded in 30 recent operations. In all 40 operations under propofol anesthesia and 6 among 7 cases under volatile anesthesia, MEP was successfully recorded. Postoperative motor paresis occurred in 6 limbs of 4 patients among 54 limbs of 30 patients who had received TCMEP compensated by CMAP by peripheral nerve stimulation and all compensated relative amplitude indexes (CRAIs) of these 6 limbs were less than 0.2. In contrast, in all 48 limbs of 26 patients who had no postoperative motor dysfunction, CRAI had been more than 0.2. These results suggest that our intraoperative TCMEP monitoring by relatively low-voltage (300-400 V) stimulation and compensated by CMAP after peripheral nerve stimulation was safe, easy (no need to expose the motor cortex), relatively accurate and less invasive, and useful especially in cerebro-vascular disease, which often requires a temporary occlusion of the cerebral arteries.