On the use of thermoesthesiometric monitoring thin nerve fibers state in children with spinal pathology
NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN MEDICINE
Abstract
Surgical correction of spinal deformity in children is associated with an increased risk of neurological disorders in the postoperative period. Modern instrumental testing methods (stimulation electroneuromyography, evoked potentials of different modalities) of the spinal roots and spinal cord pathways in children with spinal deformity provide quantitative information on the function of predominantly fast-conducting myelinated nerve conductors. While the condition of thin myelinated and non-myelinated nerve fibers is assessed by qualitative indirect methods. The potential of the thermoesthesiometry method, which allows obtaining objective information about the state of small-diameter nerve conductors in children with spinal pathology, in order to objectively monitor their neurological status during surgical treatment, remains untapped. The essence of the thermoesthesiometry method is to measure the temperature thresholds for the sensation of heat and pain from heat. For its effective use, standard testing conditions must be observed: creating a thermal comfort zone for the patient, optimization of temperature stimuli (the area of the skin being heated, and the rate of probe heating). The gender, age, anatomical, physiological and psychological characteristics of the test subjects must be taken into account. Taking into account all these circumstances, the thermoesthesiometry method can be a reliable source of diagnostic information about the condition of the thin nerve conductors of the spinal cord roots in children during surgical treatment of spinal deformities.
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