Intraoperative Neurophysiologic Monitoring: Are We Really That Bad?

STUDY DESIGNRetrospective review of a prospectively collected, multicenter database. OBJECTIVETo assess the rates of new neurologic deficit (NND) associated with spine surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATANew neurologic deficit is a potential complication of spine surgery but previously reported rates are often limited by small sample size and single-surgeon experiences. METHODSThe Scoliosis Research Society morbidity and mortality database was queried for spinal surgery cases complicated by NND from 2004 to 2007, including nerve root deficit, cauda equina deficit, and spinal cord deficit. Use of neuromonitoring was assessed. Recovery was stratified as complete, partial, or none. Rates of NND were stratified based on diagnosis, age (pediatric,