Anaesthesia for surgical correction of scoliosis with spinal cord monitoring--a case series.

OBJECTIVE: To share our experience of anaesthetic management of scoliosis with intra-operative somatosensory evoked potential monitoring and wake up test.

METHODS: All the cases of scoliosis surgery scheduled during a period of two years in which SSEP and intra-operative wake-up test was planned were included in the study. The patient in which intra-operative wake-up test was not planned were excluded from this case series.

RESULTS: We managed a series of sixteen cases of scoliosis in our hospital. Eleven patients were female and five were male with the age ranging from six to twenty two years. SSEPs were monitored throughout the procedure and wake up test was done intra-operatively after surgical manipulation of spinal cord. Intra-operative wake-up test was completed successfully in all the patients. None of the patients had any neurological damage and were also successfully extubated at the end of procedure.

CONCLUSION: Intra-operative wake up test and SSEP monitoring are reliable methods for detection of intra-operative spinal cord ischemia during scoliosis surgery.