By Kristine Houck
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring can help verify accurate placement of the leads used during spinal cord stimulation, according to a presenter at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting.
“Our data suggest intraoperative neurophysiological testing is a viable method of verifying [spinal cord stimulation] SCS lead placement,” Steven G. Roth, MS, a third-year medical student at Albany Medical College, said here. “EMG [electromyography] may help to streamline the programming processes by predicting the ideal contacts in many cases.” 
Roth and colleagues prospectively studied 73 patients who received SCS for standard indications. Implantation was performed under general anesthesia, and EMG and somatosensory-evoked potential (SSEP) collision studies were used to verify the lead placement.