Are somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) not sufficient to monitor spinal cord function?
SSEPs have been shown to be very effective for monitoring the dorsal columns of the spinal cord. In general, manipulations of the spinal cord and ischemic events will usually affect dorsal column function. Thus, SSEPs correlate well with overall spinal cord function, but they do not indicate changes in the motor pathways. A number of cases have been reported in which motor evoked potentials showed changes while SSEPs remained unchanged.
