ID 198 – Review of results of SFEMG performed with concentric needle in a large tertiary hospital

• Published in: Clinical neurophysiology 2016-03, Vol.127 (3), p.e129-e130
• Main Authors: Sans-Boza, R, Villamil, E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Neurology
• ISSN: 1388-2457; 1872-8952
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2015.11.440

Objectives To check if the standards of diagnosis based in the technique of stimulated SFEMG using a concentric electrode in our department are comparable to the published values for this technique. Methods Review of all patients that underwent SFEMG in 2013 and 2014 in our department. We analyze the number of spikes recorded per patient and muscle and the mean Mean Consecutive Difference (MCD) or jitter. We compare our results with the recommended values in the literature. Results 49 patients underwent tests in the 18-month span of our study. The normal values of jitter were similar of those of our reference studies. The sensitivity of the test was above 95% when compared to other diagnostic criteria for neuromuscular junction disorders. Conclusions Stimulated SFEMG by the use of a concentric needle is a safe and effective method of assessing the neuromuscular junction. When used by a trained person the sensitivity of the results can be very close to those of the SFEMG using a specific needle electrode. Take home message The use of concentric EMG needles in jitter measurement can be as effective as the use of SFEMG electrodes. However, extra care must be taken when assessing borderline results.