IONM in Spinal Surgery

Introduction

Scoliosis is a deformity in the vertical alignment of the spine. Scoliosis is defined as a lateral curvature of the spine that includes rotation of the vertebrae. The misalignment can be in the shape of a C or an S. Scoliosis is diagnosed when there is at least a 10 degree angle in the alignment of the vertebrae as viewed in the anterior-posterior plane. Scoliosis is broadly classified as congenital, neuromuscular, and idiopathic in origin. Physicians characterize the type of scoliosis using the Lenke classification system.