FAST-TRACKING INTRAOPERATIVE EVOKED POTENTIA (EP) MONITORING DEVICE

ALTHOUGH INTRAOPERATIVE EVOKED POTENTIAL (EP) MONITORING HAS BECOME ROUTINE IN RECENT YEARS, THE STANDARD EP SYSTEMS ARE FAR FROM MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF SUCH PROCEDURES. FOR AN INTRAOPERATIVE EP MONITORING SYSTEM TO BE EFFECTIVE, RESPONSES SHOULD BE ACQUIRED AT HIGH DISPLAY SPEEDS THAT CAN TRACK FAST CHANGING EVENTS SUCH AS ARTERIAL OCCLUSION AND ACUTE MECHANICAL STRESSES ON NEURAL STRUCTURES. NOISE AND ARTIFACT INTERFERENCE PROBLEMS SHOULD BE EFFECTIVELY ELIMINATED FOR RELIABLE TRACKING OF THE WAVEFORMS. IN ADDITION, EFFECTIVE MONITORING DISPLAYS AND METHODS OF RAPID COMMUNICATION WITH THE NEUROSURGEON MUST BE IMPROVED OVER CURRENT TECHNIQUES. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL DEVELOP SIGNAL ACQUISITION AND PROCESSING METHODS WHICH WILL ELIMINATE OR SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE INFLUENCE OF ARTIFACTS AND EXTRANEOUS SOURCES OF INTERFERENCE, INCREASE EFFECTIVE UPDATING OF INTRAOPERATIVE EP RESPONSES, ELIMINATE SUBJECTIVE EVALUATIONS OF "SIGNIFICANT CHANGE" IN EP STATUS, AND PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION OF IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY BY WHICH THE SURGEON IS INFORMED OF THE STATUS OF THE MONITORED NEURAL SYSTEM.