title: Diagnostic value of quantitative electromyography. Its scope and limitations.
abstract: On the evidence of 951 cases of the 10,500 investigated with the aid of quantitative electromyography the author shows the value of the method for diagnosing muscle activity. Statistical analysis was applied to check the diagnostic value of EMG parameters separately and jointly in the identification of the pathology and its classification as either neurogenic or myogenic. Also surveyed are the sources of the discrepancies between the electromyographic and the histopathological results in very early and very advanced cases. Examples are given that show electromyographic findings as nosologically non-specific and the method as inferior to the morphological in this respect. On the other hand the method is stressed as one that permits it to (a) tell a malignant and rapid process from a slow one, (b) obtain evidence of repair and (c) prove generalization of processes considered to be local or the progressive character of processes considered to be non-progressive. The author also refers to the added scope given to electromyography by such developments as automatic recording, SFEMG, and determination of motor unit territory with the aid of multielectrodes.
mesh_terms: D004566:Electrodes; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis