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Electrical impedance myography in the detection of radiculopathy
Author(s) -
Rutkove Seward B.,
Esper Gregory J.,
Lee Kyungmouk S.,
Aaron Ronald,
Shiffman Carl A.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.20377
Subject(s) - electrical impedance myography , medicine , electromyography , myopathy , lumbosacral joint , physical medicine and rehabilitation , neuromuscular disease , lumbosacral plexus , physical therapy , surgery , disease , vasodilation
Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a new bioimpedance‐based technique for neuromuscular disease assessment. Past work has focused on EIM in the evaluation of diffuse diseases (such as myopathy). In this study, the method's most basic form, linear‐EIM, was used for the assessment of restricted radiculopathic disease. Ten normal subjects and 10 patients with unilateral cervical or lumbosacral radiculopathy, diagnosed by electromyography and clinical criteria, were enrolled. Linear‐EIM was performed bilaterally on all individuals, and comparisons with the major outcome variable, θ avg , were made. In normal subjects, side‐to‐side differences in θ avg averaged 0.64% and were no greater than 15.9% in magnitude. In the 10 patients with radiculopathy, θ avg was consistently lower in the affected extremity, with a mean side‐to‐side difference of 15.3%, but ranging as low as 72.3%; there was a tendency for muscles with more prominent chronic neurogenic change to show greater relative reductions in θ avg . These findings support the potential utility of EIM in assessment of localized neuromuscular disease. Muscle Nerve, 2005