SY5.5. IONM of brainstem – Focus on corticobulbar MEP and brainstem reflexes.

Neurosurgery in the brainstem is one of the most challenging procedures and requires higher level of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) methodologies to prevent severe postoperative neurological deficits. Some of them are specialized for the monitoring of the functional integrity of the brainstem during surgery. Among these, this talk will be specifically focused on IONM of the corticobulbar motor evoked potential (CoMEP) and brainstem reflexes. CoMEP can monitor functional integrity of the corticobulbar motor pathway continuously from the motor cortex to the cranial nerves. Also, brainstem reflexes can be reliable methodologies to monitor neural structures involved in brainstem reflex arcs, both sensory and motor pathways. These two methodologies can be promising and powerful to evaluate the functional integrity of the brainstem and cranial nerves. Keywords: Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM); Brainstem; Corticobulbar motor evoked potential (CoMEP); Brainstem reflexes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]