Good luck with your upcoming procedure. If your surgeon has recommended that you undergo monitoring, you should take his or her recommendation, or possibly get a second opinion.
Laminectomies are back surgeries that are commonly called decompression surgeries. They enlarge your spinal canal in order to relieve pressure on your spinal cord and nerves. Intraoperative neuromonitoring involves hooking electrodes to a patient’s body during surgery to monitor the nervous system. A technician monitors the signals that the nervous system sends, and communicates that information to the surgeon. This allows the surgeon to know in real time whether the nervous system is being damaged during surgery.
Some studies have shown that intraoperative neuromonitoring can reduce the chance of a bad outcome during surgery by 50 percent or more. Without the monitoring, the surgeon may not know that something bad has happened during the surgery until it is too late.
Although intraoperative neuromonitoring has minimal risks and typically makes surgical procedures safer, there have been cases where the neuromonitoring has been poorly performed and the patient was severely harmed during surgery. In that case, the patient should speak with an attorney who can advise him or her of their legal rights. If you believe that you have been harmed during surgery, call me, Conal Doyle, intraoperative neuromonitoring attorney at 310-385-0567. I have experience in handling this type of case, and can help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.