Monitoring Children Undergoing Neurosurgery

Irrespective of the age of the patient, both anesthesia and surgery induce physiological changes, and therefore, there is a need for monitoring during the perioperative period. This need for monitoring continues into time spent in intensive care units (ICUs), with patients remaining in altered pathophysiological states. Advancements in surgical and anesthetic techniques have led to an increased number of complex neurosurgical procedures being performed in children and at an increasingly younger age. Perioperative monitoring in these children includes standard monitors suggested by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) as well as other special monitors for neuromonitoring, depending on the requirement of the patient and procedure. This chapter aims to detail the role of perioperative neuromonitoring in pediatric patients.