Umeå University's logo

umu.sePublications
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Targeting nerve safety: an innovative era in minimally invasive sciatic and sacral surgery with real-time neuromonitoring for sensorimotor protection and foot drop prevention
Sancaktepe Training and Research Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey.
Department of Biochemistry, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey.
Sultanbeyli State Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ministry of Health, Istanbul, Turkey.
Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ministry of Health, Istanbul, Turkey.
Show others and affiliations
2026 (English)In: MITAT. Minimally invasive therapy & allied technologies, ISSN 1364-5706, E-ISSN 1365-2931Article in journal (Refereed) Epub ahead of print
Abstract [en]

Background: This study assesses a novel laparoscopic decompression technique supported by real-time multimodal neuromonitoring to improve surgical safety in sciatic and sacral nerve entrapments and to prevent motor deficits such as foot drop. The approach aims to address suspected neurovascular conflicts along the pelvic sidewall and sacral plexus.

Methods: A prospective observational study was performed between June 2023 and April 2024. Ten female patients with chronic pelvic neuropathic pain (including sciatica, pudendal neuralgia, and/or dyspareunia) unresponsive to at least one year of conservative treatment underwent laparoscopic nerve exploration and decompression of suspected pelvic nerve entrapments. Multimodal neuromonitoring involved transcranial motor evoked potentials (TcMEP), somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP), bulbocavernosus reflex (BCR), free-run EMG, and triggered EMG. Changes in neuromonitoring were recorded and correlated with postoperative neurological examinations and pain outcomes over a period of up to 12 months.

Results: Neurovascular conflict was identified in seven out of 10 patients (70%). After decompression, TcMEP amplitudes improved, BCR responses increased, and SEP signals remained stable, supporting the preservation of sensory pathways. No patient experienced new postoperative neurological deficits. Pain scores decreased significantly, and improvements were maintained throughout follow-up, with meaningful gains in daily functioning and a reduction in neuropathic symptom burden.

Conclusions: Laparoscopic nerve decompression assisted by real-time multimodal neuromonitoring appears feasible and safe for selected patients with refractory pelvic neuropathic pain. In this preliminary series, neuromonitoring provided actionable intraoperative feedback that may help optimise the extent of decompression while minimising the risk of motor impairment. These data support further multicentre evaluation to confirm efficacy, refine indications, and standardise monitoring-guided algorithms.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor & Francis, 2026.
Keywords [en]
foot drop, Laparoscopic neuromonitoring, sacral radiculopathy, sciatic nerve entrapment
National Category
Surgery
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-249470DOI: 10.1080/13645706.2026.2619603ISI: 001668584700001PubMedID: 41579104Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105028404026OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-249470DiVA, id: diva2:2035781
Available from: 2026-02-05 Created: 2026-02-05 Last updated: 2026-02-05

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full textPubMedScopus

Authority records

Engin, Oral

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Engin, Oral
By organisation
Obstetrics and Gynecology
In the same journal
MITAT. Minimally invasive therapy & allied technologies
Surgery

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
pubmed
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
pubmed
urn-nbn
Total: 13 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf