Intrathecal Morphine on Transcranial Electric Motor-Evoked Potentials
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2009-04-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion (PSF) procedures for scoliosis are at risk for
iatrogenic neurologic injury of the spinal cord and/or spinal nerve roots during surgical
correction of the abnormal spinal curvature. The degree of neurologic injury can range from
minor sensory deficits to complete paraplegia. Surgeons at CHOP utilize neurophysiologists to
identify impending neurologic injury. These consultants monitor spinal cord pathways by
recording and analyzing evoked potentials during the operation. Evoked potentials are low
voltage electrical signals generated in response to transcranial or transcutaneous electrical
stimulation of motor and sensory neural pathways.
Some patients undergoing PSF receive an injection of morphine into the cerebrospinal fluid
during the operation. This intrathecal (IT) morphine has potent analgesic effects. While most
commonly used anesthetic agents have well-characterized effects on evoked potentials, little
data exists on the effects of IT morphine on transcranial electric motor-evoked potentials
(TceMEPs).
This is a prospective observational study to characterize the effects of IT morphine on
TceMEPs.