Intraoperative Neurophysiology: A Comprehensive Guide to Monitoring and Mapping

Intraoperative neurophysiology is a rapidly evolving field, increasingly used in a wide diversity of surgical cases. As such, there is an ongoing need for comprehensive resources to supplement expanding clinical practice. Although a daunting task, Dr. Simon and her team, consisting of 2 neurologists and 11 surgeons, have created a volume that is concise yet thorough and structured in a logical manner that is not intimidating to the reader. The size of the book is ideal for easy portability both within and outside the operating room. The book is organized into 8 chapters, first beginning with an overview of the modalities used during neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring (i.e. somatosensory evoked potentials, electroencephalogram [EEG], motor evoked potentials, brainstem auditory evoked potentials). The majority of chapters focus on neurophysiologic intraoperative monitoring during specific surgeries, including EEG monitoring during carotid surgery and functional cortical mapping. The clinical application of evoked potentials to surgeries involving the peripheral nerves, spine/spinal cord, brainstem, and aorta are discussed at length. The final chapter is dedicated to the important topic of anesthesia effects.