{"title":"Technical Tips: Preventing Electrode-Induced Skin Injuries During Prolonged Ambulatory Electroencephalography Monitoring.","authors":"Sumika Ouchida, Armin Nikpour, Greg Fairbrother","doi":"10.1080/21646821.2026.2643815","DOIUrl":"10.1080/21646821.2026.2643815","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ambulatory electroencephalography allows for continuous recording of electroencephalograms (EEGs) in patients' natural environments, providing insights into neurological conditions. One of the key concerns with prolonged monitoring is the risk of skin irritation or injury from electrodes. To reduce these injuries, EEG technologists should consider several factors, including age, skin tone, hair volume, electrode choice, monitoring duration, and types of adhesives. Selecting suitable electrodes and specialized adhesives is essential, along with adhering to best practices for application and removal. Maintaining EEG data integrity is essential, as skin injuries can compromise diagnostic accuracy. Regular assessment of electrode placement and skin condition is important. Technologists must balance cost-effectiveness concerns with the need for high-quality recording. Innovative methods are expected to drive practice improvements and reduce the risk of skin injuries over time.</p>","PeriodicalId":22816,"journal":{"name":"The Neurodiagnostic Journal","volume":" ","pages":"75-86"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147718327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessing IONM Efficacy Using the National Inpatient Sample: A Short Cut to Nowhere?","authors":"Julie Trott, Cheryl Wiggins, Eric Tesdahl","doi":"10.1080/21646821.2026.2661531","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21646821.2026.2661531","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":22816,"journal":{"name":"The Neurodiagnostic Journal","volume":"66 2","pages":"69-74"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148164618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Overview of Neurodiagnostic Enrollments: A Qualitative Study and Projections for the Future of Neurodiagnostics.","authors":"Daniella Krantz","doi":"10.1080/21646821.2026.2650237","DOIUrl":"10.1080/21646821.2026.2650237","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Higher education enrollments have trended downward over the last several years and fallen further due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem addressed in this study was low student enrollment in neurodiagnostic programs in the United States, resulting in an increasing shortage of neurodiagnostic professionals. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of neurodiagnostic program directors on the low enrollments. Human capital theory, the theory of planned behavior, and self-determination theory were used as the framework for this study. Program directors from nine neurodiagnostic programs were interviewed using semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions and addressed enrollment trends, visibility of the neurodiagnostic career path, and neurodiagnostic licensure. Inductive and reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview data and identify emerging themes and determine the causes of low enrollments. The results demonstrated a lack of visibility of the field of neurodiagnostics, the lack of clinical sites, and a lack of standardization, impact low enrollments. Future research could incorporate a larger group of program directors and broaden the study to include additional modalities in the field of neurodiagnostics. Implications of these findings may be that hospital administrators review entry-level requirements for new hires, advocate for more clinical sites, and engage in better marketing campaigns to encourage increased visibility of neurodiagnostic programs and higher enrollments.</p>","PeriodicalId":22816,"journal":{"name":"The Neurodiagnostic Journal","volume":" ","pages":"103-123"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147718337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tori A Barchers, Olivia C Bellatin, Makenzie Hoyle, Alex Rogers, Kara Hessel, Joshua Bunch, Patrick Landazuri, Dipika Aggarwal
{"title":"Left Common Iliac Artery Dissection During Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Identified by Somatosensory Changes: A Case Study.","authors":"Tori A Barchers, Olivia C Bellatin, Makenzie Hoyle, Alex Rogers, Kara Hessel, Joshua Bunch, Patrick Landazuri, Dipika Aggarwal","doi":"10.1080/21646821.2026.2632516","DOIUrl":"10.1080/21646821.2026.2632516","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) is commonly used during spinal surgeries to monitor neural pathways. During spinal decompression and instrumentation, injury to the spinal cord and its nerve roots is of great concern. Vascular retraction during anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) can have complications. The use of IONM has been tailored for ALIFs, with that value shown in this detailed case study of a rare ALIF complication.</p>","PeriodicalId":22816,"journal":{"name":"The Neurodiagnostic Journal","volume":" ","pages":"87-102"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147366727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Justin W Silverstein, Armaan DeWal, Gabrielle Santangelo, Max Ward, Sheng-Fu Larry Lo, Daniel M Sciubba
{"title":"Intraoperative Detection of a Lateralized S2 Nerve Root Conduction Block Using Hemisphincter Bulbocavernosus Reflex Monitoring.","authors":"Justin W Silverstein, Armaan DeWal, Gabrielle Santangelo, Max Ward, Sheng-Fu Larry Lo, Daniel M Sciubba","doi":"10.1080/21646821.2026.2663424","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21646821.2026.2663424","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sacral reflex monitoring using bulbocavernosus reflex (BCR) and external urethral sphincter reflex (EUSR) is used to assess neural pathways responsible for bowel and bladder function during spine surgery. However, these techniques are generally considered limited in their ability to determine laterality due to bilateral afferent activation and shared sacral reflex circuitry. An 85-year-old male with progressive lower extremity weakness and worsening urinary incontinence underwent resection of a thoracic epidural tumor and separate sacral tumor involving the left S2 nerve root. BCR responses were recorded from the left and right external anal sphincter hemisphincters, and EUSR responses were recorded from the external urethral sphincter. Baseline recordings were stable. During manipulation of the thecal sac near the left S2 root, global sacral reflex attenuation occurred with complete loss of the left hemisphincter BCR response; release of retraction resulted in prompt bilateral recovery. Later, during targeted dissection adjacent to the left S2 nerve root, an isolated loss of the left hemisphincter BCR response occurred without changes in contralateral BCR or EUSR. Removal of the left S2 root retraction led to immediate return of the ipsilateral BCR response, though at a reduced amplitude. This case provides physiologic support that hemisphincter BCR recordings can reflect unilateral sacral nerve root dysfunction. A maneuver-dependent, reversible loss of the left hemisphincter BCR during S2 root retraction supports interpretation of hemisphincter changes as a marker of lateralized sacral reflex pathway dysfunction rather than global reflex suppression.</p>","PeriodicalId":22816,"journal":{"name":"The Neurodiagnostic Journal","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147843222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Handbook of ICU EEG Monitoring 2nd Edition<b>Handbook of ICU EEG Monitoring 2nd Edition</b> by Suzette LaRoche, M.D. and Hiba Haider, M.D. Published by Demos Medical by Spring Publishing, 2018, 385 pages. Currently available through Amazon (paperback, $54.05 and kindle $51.48) or Springer Publishing (eBook $83.99 and eBook rental for 180 days $56.99). ISBN 978-0826168610.","authors":"Jennifer Legler","doi":"10.1080/21646821.2026.2661173","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21646821.2026.2661173","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":22816,"journal":{"name":"The Neurodiagnostic Journal","volume":" ","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147821147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nonawake versus Awake Placement of Spinal Cord Stimulators in Canada.","authors":"Kristen Marciniuk, Jonathan Norton","doi":"10.1080/21646821.2025.2587992","DOIUrl":"10.1080/21646821.2025.2587992","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a common therapeutic approach for treating intractable chronic pain. A key factor determining SCS efficacy is lead positioning to generate paresthesias in areas of perceived pain. There are two distinct approaches to confirming appropriate coverage. 1) Sedative anesthesia with local anesthetic and intraoperative patient reporting of pain coverage. 2) General anesthesia and intraoperative neurophysiological mapping. Placement guided by neuromonitoring decreases OR times, produces more accurate placement with better pain coverage, less excess paresthesias and adverse events. We aim to determine the prevalence of non-awake SCS placement with neuromonitoring in Canada, given the demonstrated benefits, and to identify possible barriers to implementation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A structured questionnaire was designed to assess procedures for SCS implantation in Canada. The survey was distributed via email to members of the Canadian Neuromodulation Society.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>14 responses were received. 36% perform SCS implantation asleep with neuromonitoring where 75% utilize CMAPs and 25% utilize SSEP collisions. 71% have access to a neurophysiologist yet 93% are at centres where neurophysiologists are used for other procedures. Barriers to utilizing neurophysiologist assisted lead placement include familiarity with the awake procedure, and lack of access and awareness.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This survey provides a summary of SCS implantation practice patterns in Canada. Although asleep SCS implantation with neuromonitoring is faster and results in more accurate placement while avoiding downsides of the awake procedure, most neurosurgeons currently do not utilize this protocol in part due to a lack of access to neurophysiologists with expertise in this area.</p>","PeriodicalId":22816,"journal":{"name":"The Neurodiagnostic Journal","volume":" ","pages":"11-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145726061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}