Background: No reports on applying adhesive skin electrodes for intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) of the vagus nerve during schwannoma enucleation have been reported in the literature.
Methods: A 45-year-old patient was referred to our institution with a 2.2 cm mass in the left lateral neck, suspected to be a vagal nerve schwannoma. A pair of surface electrodes were attached to the lateral margin of the thyroid cartilage. After exposing the tumor, the authors selected the incision site avoiding the expected course of the vagus nerve fibers after mapping on the surface of the tumor.
Results: Postoperative vocal cord function was intact, without aspiration or dysphagia.
Conclusions: The authors report the successful use of skin electrodes for IONM of the vagus nerve during cervical vagal schwannoma removal, suggesting the feasibility of applying these electrodes for IONM of neck surgeries other than those associated with the thyroid or parathyroid glands.
Copyright © 2023 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.