Clinical observations on the release of tethered spinal cord in children with intra-operative neurophysiological monitoring: A retrospective study

Abstract

To study the utility of neurophysiological monitoring in the micro-surgical treatments on children with Tethered Cord Syndrome (TCS). A total of 100 patients were included in this study. 51 children underwent micro-surgical treatments without neurophysiological monitoring (no monitoring group) from 2004 to 2009, whereas 49 children with neurophysiological monitoring (monitoring group) from 2010 to 2016. Postoperative evaluations demonstrated that more children in monitoring group (39, 80%) achieved total release than no monitoring group (36, 71%). Fewer new complications (9, 18%) were found in children of monitoring group than that of no monitoring group (19, 37%) (χ2 = 4.422, P < 0.05). Additionally, more children in monitoring group (34, 76%) achieved complete recovery or significant improvement than that of no monitoring group (24, 54%) (χ2 = 4.326, P < 0.05). This retrospective study provided the evidence supporting the hypothesis that intra-operative neurophysiological monitoring may better guide the surgical process, reduce the risk of post-operative complications, and improve the recovery of children with TCS.