Abstract

DIAZ POSADA, Rodrigo I; PAYARES ALVAREZ, Kelly; ARIAS MONTOYA, Juan F  and  OSPINO AREVALO, Diva Paola. Somatosensorial evoked potentials monitoring during occipitocervical decompression in an achondroplasic child: Case report. Iatreia [online]. 2005, vol.18, n.2, pp.177-184. ISSN 0121-0793.

We report the case of an eight-month-old patient achondroplasia and symptoms suggestive of cervicomedullary compression. Such symptoms included generalized tonic-clonic convulsions, irritability, frequent apnea episodes, nonexistent cephalic control, generalized flaccidity, abolished osteotendinous reflexes and prominent fontanel. Imaging studies included Computarized Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which showed the compression and sings of chronic cervical myelophathy. These findings were confirmed with the preoperative Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (SSEP) study of the median nerve. The patient was submitted to a decompression of the posterior fossa and laminectomy of C-1. Continuous intraoperative evoked potentials screening was used to observe the electrophysiological changes that could appear due to the medullar decompression and also to help determine the extension of the required decompression.

Keywords : achondroplasia; occipitocervical compression; somatosensorial; evoked potentials.

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