Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring in spinal cord cavernous angioma surgery: a case report

Spinal cord cavernous angioma (SCAA) is a rare tumorous condition that can manifest various neurologic symptoms, and most lesions are needed to be removed surgically. However, since the SCAA is positioned intramedullary, the tumor resection could have a modest risk for the development of neuronal injury. Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) has been widely accepted as an effective tool for detecting neuronal damage and predicting postoperative neurologic deterioration in intramedullary spinal cord tumor surgery. Here, we briefly report a representative case of SCAA surgery with IONM, which showed the different patterns of electrophysiologic change in each lower limb, followed by the relevant postoperative neurologic states. Based on this case, we could confirm the clinical significance of the application of IONM again.