Intraoperative Evoked Potential Monitoring in Pediatrics

.The utility of intraoperative somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) monitoring has been addressed over the last decade and SSEP monitoring has been widely used in a variety of surgical procedures. Most of the literature has dealt with intraoperative monitoring in adult patients. We have employed intraoperative SSEP monitoring in pediatric patients since the early 1980s. Over the years we have monitored over 300 operations, most done in children less than 15 years old, undergoing corrective scoliosis surgery. Based upon our experience, we have developed techniques addressing problems of surgically monitoring children and have found intraoperative SSEP monitoring to be useful in pediatrics, understanding that a number of important differences must be addressed when monitoring this age group.