ELECTROMYOGRAPHY AND INSTRUMENTATION IN PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS

ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of this study is to relate the use of intraoperative electromyography with surgical time, proper placement of screws, type of curve and time spent per screw in idiopathic scoliosis correction surgery in a group of surgeons from Belo Horizonte. This study used the database of protocol evaluation of patients operated in the service, and separately analyzed the results of motor and somatosensory potentials. Methods: Retrospective study of 80 patients undergoing surgery for correction of idiopathic scoliosis between December 2008 and January 2015. A single group of Belo Horizonte spine surgeons performed the intraoperative electromyographic (EMG) monitoring. EMG was performed with stimulation of pedicle screws in patients undergoing instrumentation with pedicle screws as fixation elements. Results: The sample consisted of 85% females (mean age 17 years) and 37.5% of cases had classification type 1AN of Lenke. Of the total surgical cases, 60% had EMG changes. Of the total cases analyzed, 66.3% were true positives for the result. Conclusion: Intraoperative monitoring with EMG is a very important tool for the surgical treatment of patients with scoliosis undergoing instrumentation with pedicle screws. It enables to check if the screw is located on the correct path, helping to decrease the error rate and providing corrections to the surgical approach through a change of strategies. Moreover, it contributes to decrease the time to screw positioning and the total surgical time. RESUMEN Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio es relacionar el uso de la electromiografía intraoperatoria con el tiempo quirúrgico, la colocación de los tornillos, el tipo de curva y el tiempo por tornillo en la cirugía de corrección de la escoliosis idiopática en un grupo de cirujanos de Belo Horizonte. Este trabajo utilizó la base de datos de evaluación de protocolos de los pacientes operados en el servicio y analizó los resultados de los potenciales motor y somatosensorial por separado. Métodos: Estudio retrospectivo de 80 pacientes que se sometieron a tratamiento quirúrgico para la corrección de la escoliosis idiopática entre diciembre de 2008 y enero de 2015. Un solo grupo de cirujanos de columna de Belo Horizonte realizó la monitorización electromiográfica (EMG) intraoperatoria. Se realizó EMG con la estimulación de los tornillos pediculares en pacientes sometidos a la instrumentación con tornillos pediculares como elementos de fijación. Resultados: La