IONM can be helpful in clarifying anatomical structures that have been distorted by degenerative disease, congenital anomalies, revision surgery, tumor and/or inflammatory processes that may obscure normal anatomic relationships and surgical landmarks. It can help identify new systematic (nervous system) impairment and identify or separate nervous system structures (for instance, around/in a tumor or scar tissue), and can demonstrate which tracts or nerves are still functional. When a surgeon has the benefit of early warning of altered neurological functions, they can intervene immediately and avoid or reverse the potential for injury.