Surgeries – Ear, Nose, & Throat

IOM is extremely valuable and useful in surgeries involving the auditory canal.  The VIIth (facial) and the VIIIth (auditory) cranial nerves pass through this complex area.

Indications:

IOM is useful in the dissection and resection for acoustic neuromas due to the high incidence of facial nerve injury.  It may also be useful with other cerebello-pontine angle tumor resections and parotidectomies.  ENT surgeries often involve procedures that may put the cranial nerves and brainstem function at risk.  For example, stimulating a tumor mass with EMG can help locate displaced cranial nerves within the mass and aid in preserving them.  ABR can be performed simultaneously to monitor and protect hearing function.

Modalities used:

SSEP, EMG, and ABR

Research Papers:

• Brainstem auditory evoked potential monitoring during microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm: intraoperative brainstem auditory evoked potential changes and warning values to prevent hearing loss–prospective study in a consecutive series of 84 patients. Click here to read…
• Facial nerve monitoring in middle ear and mastoid surgery. Click here to read…