Electrocorticography As a Neurophysiological Marker for Intraoperative Monitoring for Brain Retraction: an IDEAL Stage 1 Study

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are conducting a first-in-human feasibility study to explore new electrophysiological recording methods during neurosurgery in adults. This study builds on earlier experiments in mice and aims to monitor brain retraction injury during planned intracranial surgeries. It focuses on using electrocorticography (ECoG) as a neurophysiological marker to detect potential brain injury caused by surgical retraction. Participants will undergo their scheduled neurosurgical procedures as usual, with standard neuro-monitoring techniques such as EEG, motor evoked potentials (MEP), and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) applied if indicated. Additionally, an ECoG electrode array will be placed under the brain retractor by the surgeon during the operation. Other electrode arrays may be positioned on unretracted brain areas to serve as references. During the study, researchers will evaluate how well the ECoG brain retractor integrates into the usual neurosurgical workflow over a 28-month period from November 2022 to March 2026. They will analyze the electrophysiological data collected to explore correlations between ECoG signals and the duration of brain retraction. Participants will receive standard care alongside study monitoring, with no changes to their usual surgical treatment.

Electrocorticographic Monitoring of Brain Retraction Injury (EMBRI)