Transabdominal motor evoked potential neuromonitoring of lumbosacral spine surgery.

Background Context: Transcranial Motor Evoked Potentials (TcMEPs) can improve intraoperative detection of femoral plexus and nerve root injury during lumbosacral spine surgery. However, even under ideal conditions, TcMEPs are not completely free of false-positive alerts due to the immobilizing effect of general anesthetics, especially in the proximal musculature. The application of transcutaneous stimulation to activate ventral nerve roots directly at the level of the conus medularis (bypassing the brain and spinal cord) has emerged as a method to potentially monitor the motor component of the femoral plexus and lumbosacral nerves free from the blunting effects of general anesthesia.

Responsive neurostimulation: Candidates and considerations.

Responsive neurostimulation (RNS) has recently emerged as a safe and effective treatment for some patients with medically refractory focal epilepsy who are not candidates for surgical resection. Responsive neurostimulation involves an implanted neurostimulator and intracranial leads that detect incipient seizures and respond with electrical counterstimulation. Over 1800 patients have been treated with RNS since its FDA approval in 2013.

Sensitivity of a Reduced EEG Montage for Seizure Detection in the Neurocritical Care Setting.

Introduction: Neurocritical care units commonly implement the double-distance reduced EEG montage in postoperative neurosurgic patients who have structural barriers that hinder the placement of a standard 10-20 system array. Despite its widespread use, its sensitivity has not been adequately addressed. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of this montage for seizure detection.

Regulating drivers with epilepsy in Maryland: Results of the application of a United States consensus guideline.

Objective: Driving regulations for people with seizures vary widely throughout the United States and the world. Maryland updated their guidelines in 2003 to reflect those of a U.S.

Synthesis and characterization of dual stimuli responsive macromers based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(vinylphosphonic acid).

Stimulus responsive materials hold great promise in biological applications as they can react to changes in physiological stimuli to produce a desired effect. Stimulus responsive macromers designed to respond to temperature changes at or around 37 degrees C and the presence of divalent cations were synthesized from N-isopropylacrylamide, pentaerythritol diacrylate monostearate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, and vinylphosphonic acid by free radical polymerization. Monomers were incorporated into the macromers in ratios approximating the molar feed ratios, and macromers underwent thermogelation around normal body temperature (36.

Synthesis and characterization of injectable, thermally and chemically gelable, amphiphilic poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based macromers.

In this study, we synthesized and characterized a series of macromers based on poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) that undergo thermally induced physical gelation and, following chemical modification, can be chemically cross-linked. Macromers with number average molecular weights typically ranging from 2000-3500 Da were synthesized via free radical polymerization from, in addition to N-isopropylacrylamide, pentaerythritol diacrylate monostearate, a bifunctional monomer containing a long hydrophobic chain, acrylamide, a hydrophilic monomer, and hydroxyethyl acrylate, a hydrophilic monomer used to provide hydroxyl groups for further chemical modification. Results indicated that the hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance achieved by varying the relative concentrations of comonomers used during synthesis was an important parameter in controlling the transition temperature of the macromers in solution and stability of the resultant gels.