Utilizing a handheld electrode array for localized muscle impedance measurements.
BACKGROUND
Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a noninvasive technique used for assessment of muscle health in which a high-frequency, low-amplitude electric current is applied to the skin overlying a muscle, and the resulting surface voltage is measured. We have previously used adhesive electrodes, application of which is inconvenient. We present data using a handheld electrode array (HEA) that we devised to expedite the EIM procedure in a clinical setting.


METHODS
Thirty-four healthy volunteers and 24 radiculopathy subjects underwent EIM testing using the HEA and adhesive electrodes.


RESULTS
The HEA was shown to have good test-retest reproducibility, with intraclass correlation coefficients as high as 0.99. HEA data correlated strongly with data from adhesive electrodes, ρ = 0.85 in healthy volunteers (P < 0.001) and ρ = 0.75 in radiculopathy subjects (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
These data support the potential use of a handheld array for performing rapid localized surface impedance measurements.
Departments of Neurology and Orthopedics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
Pushpa
P
Narayanaswami
Andrew J
AJ
Spieker
Phillip
P
Mongiovi
John C
JC
Keel
Stefan C
SC
Muzin
Seward B
SB
Rutkove
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004576:Electromyography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results