Nerve transfer surgery has emerged as a promising approach to restoring function in paralyzed muscles. The trapezius plane block (TPB) blocks the thoracic branches of the posterior primary rami, providing extended analgesia in nerve transfer surgeries. The case report describes the analgesia profiling of a young man who suffered a traumatic pan-brachial plexus injury and underwent a spinal accessory nerve to the suprascapular nerve transfer. TPB was utilized as a part of multimodal analgesia. TPB represents an advancement in regional anesthesia, providing extended analgesia and reducing opioid consumption. TPB can promote patient comfort and facilitate early mobilization.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing importance has been attributed in recent years to the preservation of the pelvic autonomic nerves during rectal resection to achieve better functional results. In addition to improved surgical techniques, intraoperative neuromonitoring may be useful.
METHODS: This single-arm prospective study included 30 patients who underwent rectal resection performed with intraoperative neuromonitoring by recording the change in the tissue impedance of the urinary bladder and rectum after stimulation of the pelvic autonomic nerves. The International Prostate Symptom Score, the post-void residual urine volume and the Low Anterior Resection Syndrome Score (LARS score) were assessed during the 12-month follow-up period.
RESULTS: A stimulation-induced change in tissue impedance was observed in 28/30 patients (93.3%). In the presence of risk factors such as low anastomosis, neoadjuvant radiotherapy and a deviation stoma, an average increase of the LARS score by 9 points was observed 12 months after surgery (p = 0,04). The function of the urinary bladder remained unaffected in the first week (p = 0,7) as well as 12 months after the procedure (p = 0,93).
CONCLUSIONS: The clinical feasibility of the new method for pelvic intraoperative neuromonitoring could be verified. The benefits of intraoperative pelvic neuromonitoring were particularly evident in difficult intraoperative situations with challenging visualization of the pelvic nerves.

The electrical stimulation of pedicle screws is a technique used to ensure its correct placement within the vertebrae pedicle. Several authors have studied these screws\' electrical properties with the objective of understanding if they are a potential source of false negatives. As titanium screws are anodized with different thicknesses of a high electrical resistance oxide (TiO2), this study investigated, using analytical, numerical, and experimental methods, how its thickness may affect pedicle screw\'s resistance and conductivity. Analytical results have demonstrated that the thickness of the TiO2 layer does result in a significant radial resistance increase (44.21 mΩ/nm, for Ø 4.5 mm), and a decrease of conductivity with layers thicker than 150 nm. The numerical approach denotes that the geometry of the screw further results in a decrease in the pedicle screw conductivity, especially after 125 nm. Additionally, the experimental results demonstrate that there is indeed an effective decrease in conductivity with an increase in the TiO2 layer thickness, which is also reflected in the screw\'s total resistance. While the magnitude of the resistance associated with each TiO2 layer thickness may not be enough to compromise the ability to use anodized pedicle screws with a high-voltage electrical stimulator, pedicle screws should be the subject of more frequent electrical characterisation studies.

Among all types of trauma in children, traumatic brain injury has the greatest potential for the development of devastating consequences, with nearly three million affected each year in the world. A controlled, nonrandomized experimental study was carried out in pediatric patients with severe traumatic brain injury, whose objective was to evaluate the use of continuous multimodal neuromonitoring (MMN) of intracranial parameters as a guide in the treatment of children of different age-groups. The patients were divided into two groups according to the treatment received; clinical and imaging monitoring was performed in both. Group I included those whose treatment was guided by MMN of intracranial parameters such as intracranial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure, and intracranial compliance, and group II included those who had only clinical and imaging monitoring. Eighty patients were studied, 41 in group I and 39 in group II. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to the sociodemographic variables and the results; as a consequence, both forms of treatment were outlined, for patients with MMN and for those who only have clinical and imaging monitoring. It is concluded that both treatment schemes can be used depending on technological availability, although the scheme with MMN is optimal.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) alert is one of the worrying events of kyphosis corrective surgery, which can result in a postoperative neurological deficit. To our knowledge, there is no risk prediction score to predict such events in patients undergoing kyphosis surgery.
OBJECTIVE: To develop a new preoperative MRI-based cord morphology classification (CMC) and risk prediction score for predicting IONM alerts in patients with kyphotic deformity.
METHODS: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data.
METHODS: About 114 patients undergoing surgical correction for kyphotic deformity.
METHODS: Intraoperative neuromonitoring alerts and postoperative neurological status using AIS grading.
METHODS: Kyphotic deformity patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion were retrospectively reviewed. Based on the morphology of the spinal cord and surrounding CSF in MRI, there are 5 types of cord. Type 1 (normal cord): circular cord with surrounding visible CSF between the cord and the apex, Type 2 (flattened cord): cord with <50% distortion at the apex with obliteration of the anterior CSF; Type 3 (deformed cord): cord with >50% distortion at the apex with complete obliteration of the surrounding CSF; Type 4 (stretched cord): the cord is stretched and atrophied over the apex of the curve. Type 5 (translated cord): horizontal translation of the cord at the apex with buckling collapse of the vertebral column. Preoperative radiographs were used to measure the preoperative sagittal cobbs angle, sagittal deformity angular ratio (S-DAR), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), apex of the curve, and type of kyphosis. Clinical data like the duration of symptoms, clinical signs of myelopathy, neurological status (AIS grade), grade of myelopathy using the mJOA score, and type of osteotomy were documented. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors for IONM alerts and the risk prediction score was developed which was validated with new cohort of 30 patients.
RESULTS: A total of 114 patients met the inclusion criteria. IONM alerts were documented in 33 patients (28.9%), with full recovery of the signal in 25 patients and a postoperative deficit in 8 patients. Rate of IONM alerts was significantly higher in Type 5 (66%), followed by Type 4 (50%), Type 3 (21.1%), Type 2 (11.1%), and Type 1 (11.1%) (p-value<.001). Based on multiple logistic regression, 7 factors, namely preoperative neurological status, mJOA score≤6, presence of signs of myelopathy, apex of the curve above T5, preoperative sagittal cobbs, S-DAR, and MRI-based CMC, were identified as risk predictors. The value for the risk factors varies from 0 to 4, and the maximum total risk score was 13. The cut-off value of 6 had good sensitivity (84.9%) and specificity (77.8%) indicating a high risk for IONM alerts. The AUC of the predictive model was 0.92, indicating excellent discriminative ability.
CONCLUSIONS: We developed and validated a risk predictive score that identifies patients at risk of IONM alerts during kyphosis surgery. Identification of such high-risk patients (risk score≥6) helps in proper evaluation and preoperative counselling and helps in providing a proper evidence-based reference for treatment strategies.

BACKGROUND: Patients undergoing ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation often present with structural heart disease (SHD) and reduced ejection fraction. Inducing VT by programmed electrical stimulation (PES) puts these patients at risk for hemodynamic instability and cerebral hypoperfusion.
OBJECTIVE: The present study screens for cerebral oxygen desaturation phases (ODPs) in patients undergoing VT ablation.
METHODS: Forty-seven patients (age 61 ± 14 years, 72% males) underwent ablation of sustained VT with simultaneous neuromonitoring using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).
RESULTS: Analysis of NIRS signal identified ODPs in 29 patients (62%). ODPs were associated with a higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) (45% vs. 11%, p = 0.024), previous VT episodes (n = 16 vs. 4, p = 0.018), and VTs inducible by PES (n = 2.4 vs. 1.2, p = 0.004). Patients with ODPs were more likely to be admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) (78% vs. 33%, p = 0.005) and had more in-hospital VT recurrences (24% vs. 0%, p = 0.034). No differences were observed in VT recurrence rates after hospital discharge (41.4% vs. 44.4%, p = 0.60) and left ventricular ejection fraction (34% vs. 38%, p = 0.567). IHD (OR: 32.837, p = 0.006), ICU admission (OR: 14.112, p = 0.013), and the number of VTs inducible at PES (OR: 2.705, p = 0.015) were independently associated with ODPs.
CONCLUSIONS: This study registers episodes of cerebral hypoperfusion in 62% of patients undergoing VT ablation and identifies IHD and the number of VTs inducible at PES as possible risk factors for these episodes.

BACKGROUND: The goal of surgical management in pediatric low-grade gliomas (pLGGs) is gross total resection (GTR), as it is considered curative with favorable long-term outcomes. Achieving GTR can be challenging in the setting of eloquent-region gliomas, in which resection may increase risk of neurological deficits. Awake craniotomy (AC) with intraoperative neurofunctional mapping (IONM) offers a promising approach to achieve maximal resection while preserving neurological function. However, its adoption in pediatric cases has been hindered, and barriers to its adoption have not previously been elucidated.
RESULTS: This review includes two complementary investigations. First, a survey study was conducted querying pediatric neurosurgeons on their perceived barriers to the procedure in children with pLGG. Next, these critical barriers were analyzed in the context of existing literature. These barriers included the lack of standardized IONM techniques for children, inadequate surgical and anesthesia experience, concerns regarding increased complication risks, doubts about children\'s ability to tolerate the procedure, and perceived non-indications due to alternative monitoring tools.
CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to overcome these barriers include standardizing IONM protocols, refining anesthesia management, enhancing patient preparation strategies, and challenging entrenched beliefs about pediatric AC. Collaborative interdisciplinary efforts and further studies are needed to establish safety guidelines and broaden the application of AC, ultimately improving outcomes for children with pLGG.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) poses a significant challenge to healthcare providers, necessitating meticulous management of hemodynamic parameters to optimize patient outcomes. This article delves into the critical task of defining and meeting continuous arterial blood pressure (ABP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) targets in the context of severe TBI in neurocritical care settings.
METHODS: We narratively reviewed existing literature, clinical guidelines, and emerging technologies to propose a comprehensive approach that integrates real-time monitoring, individualized cerebral perfusion target setting, and dynamic interventions.
RESULTS: Our findings emphasize the need for personalized hemodynamic management, considering the heterogeneity of patients with TBI and the evolving nature of their condition. We describe the latest advancements in monitoring technologies, such as autoregulation-guided ABP/CPP treatment, which enable a more nuanced understanding of cerebral perfusion dynamics. By incorporating these tools into a proactive monitoring strategy, clinicians can tailor interventions to optimize ABP/CPP and mitigate secondary brain injury.
CONCLUSIONS: Challenges in this field include the lack of standardized protocols for interpreting multimodal neuromonitoring data, potential variability in clinical decision-making, understanding the role of cardiac output, and the need for specialized expertise and customized software to have individualized ABP/CPP targets regularly available. The patient outcome benefit of monitoring-guided ABP/CPP target definitions still needs to be proven in patients with TBI.
CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that the TBI community take proactive steps to translate the potential benefits of personalized ABP/CPP targets, which have been implemented in certain centers, into a standardized and clinically validated reality through randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze intraoperative neuromonitoring data of patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy undergoing cervical laminectomy and assess the incidence of signal drops and their risk factors.
METHODS: This retrospective observational study included patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy who underwent cervical laminectomy with intraoperative neuromonitoring between July 2018 and March 2023. We analyzed the signal changes for any correlation with the type of pathology (ossified posterior longitudinal ligament vs. cervical spondylotic myelopathy [CSM]) and clinical (severity of myelopathy, duration of symptoms) and radiological (length of cord signal changes and K-line) parameters.
RESULTS: Of 100 degenerative cervical myelopathy cases, 55 were diagnosed as OPLL and 45 as CSM. Signal drops were recorded in 26 patients-14 persistent drops and 12 transient drops. True positive drops were seen in 4 patients (2 OPLL and 2 CSM), 3 of whom had sustained bimodal drops (both somatosensory evoked potentials and motor evoked potentials). Signal drops were significantly more frequent with OPLL compared with CSM (P < 0.01). Ten of 14 persistent signal drops and 9 of 12 transient drops were seen in patients in OPLL. Continuous OPLL, negative K-line, hill type OPLL, severity of myelopathy, and longer duration of symptoms were risk factors for signal drops.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cervical OPLL have a higher incidence of false positive and transient signal drops after decompression compared with patients with CSM. Longer duration of symptoms, high-grade myelopathy, continuous OPLL, hill type OPLL, and negative K-line were risk factors for signal drops.

OBJECTIVE: Postoperative bowel and bladder dysfunction (BBD) poses a significant risk following surgery of the sacral spinal segments and sacral nerve roots, particularly in neuro-oncology cases. The need for more reliable neuromonitoring techniques to enhance the safety of spine surgery is evident.
METHODS: We conducted a case series comprising 60 procedures involving 56 patients, spanning from September 2022 to January 2024. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of sacral reflexes (bulbocavernosus and external urethral sphincter reflexes) and compared them with transcranial motor evoked potentials (TCMEP) incorporating anal sphincter (AS) and external urethral sphincter (EUS) recordings, as well as spontaneous electromyography (s-EMG) with AS and EUS recordings.
RESULTS: Sacral reflexes demonstrated a specificity of 100% in predicting postoperative BBD, with a sensitivity of 73.33%. While sensitivity slightly decreased to 64.71% at the 1-month follow-up, it remained consistently high overall. TCMEP with AS/EUS recordings did not identify any instances of postoperative BBD, whereas s-EMG with AS/EUS recordings showed a sensitivity of 14.29% and a specificity of 97.14%.
CONCLUSIONS: Sacral reflex monitoring emerges as a robust adjunct to routine neuromonitoring, offering surgeons valuable predictive insights to potentially mitigate the occurrence of postoperative BBD.