Somatosensory and Motor Evoked Potential Monitoring in a Patient of a Spinal Tumour at Lumbar Level under Total Intravenous Anaesthesia- A Case Report..

A 40-year-old, ASA1 patient was posted for intradural extramedullary tumour at the level of L2-L3 spine. Patient was operated for the same and the tumour was resected. Postoperatively after 36 hours, patient complained of loss of bladder sensation associated with urinary retention. Surgical, urological and radiological findings were suggestive of mass effect (remnant tumour or clot) at the site of the previous surgery. A decision was taken to perform a re-exploration at the site with the use of electrophysiological monitoring including somatosensory and motor evoked potential. The surgery was performed completely under total intravenous sedation with the use of midazolam, fentanyl and propofol. The remnant mass was resected and the patient regained sensory functions in the post-operative period. Hence this case report highlights the use of total intravenous sedation for somatosensory and motor evoked potential monitoring in major neurosurgeries