title: Diagnostic value of myotactic reflexes in axonal and demyelinating polyneuropathy.
abstract: In 11 patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and 11 patients with chronic idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy (CIAP), absent myotatic reflexes were significantly associated more often with CIDP than with CIAP, an absent biceps-reflex having the highest sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of CIDP. In CIDP, the latencies of electromyographically recorded myotatic reflexes often indicated demyelination, notwithstanding normal clinically assessed myotatic reflexes. Myotatic reflexes may therefore be useful for the distinction between axonal and demyelinating polyneuropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Hospital Utrecht, The Netherlands. G.W.Dijk@neuro.azu.nl
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: van Dijk
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wokke
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Notermans
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Gijn
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Franssen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000842:Ankle / Q000503:physiopathology; D001132:Arm; D001369:Axons / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004576:Electromyography; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D020277:Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011930:Reaction Time; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity