INTRODUCTION TO IONM
ORIMtec provides a service called intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM). During your head, neck or spinal surgery, a specially trained neurotechnologist (NT) from ORIMtec will continuously monitor (or check) your nervous system. The NT monitors the electrical impulses as they pass through the spinal cord to the brain throughout the surgical procedure. The purpose of IONM is to reduce the risk of injury to the nerve structures directly involved with the type and location of the surgery.

IONM helps to make your surgery go smoothly by:

• Allowing the NT to let the surgeon know immediately if there are any negative effects to your spinal cord or neural structure.
• Enabling the NT to work closely with your anesthesiologist to monitor how the anesthetic agents you have been given interact with the nervous system.
• Reducing many of the risks involved with surgery, and increasing the chance of a successful outcome.

For example, studies have shown that without the use of monitoring in surgeries such as correction of a scoliotic deformity, neurological deficits can be as high as 6.9 percent. But with IONM, these problems can be reduced to less then 0.7 percent of cases.

You can be assured that your safety is our primary concern at ORIMtec. The NT involved with your surgery is highly trained and experienced in using IONM and is considered part of the surgical team.