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Needle electromyography of the frontalis muscle in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Author(s) -
Pan Hua,
Jian Fan,
Lin Jinxi,
Chen Na,
Zhang Zaiqiang,
Wang Yongjun,
Cui Liying,
Kimura Jun
Publication year - 2016
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.25236
Subject(s) - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , medicine , electromyography , motor unit , accessory nerve , sternocleidomastoid muscle , frontalis muscle , trapezius muscle , tongue , subclinical infection , physical medicine and rehabilitation , anatomy , pathology , disease , forehead
We sought to determine which muscles to choose for better assessment of the craniobulbar region in establishing the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: We studied the frontalis muscle in 83 controls and compared it with the tongue, sternocleidomastoid (SCM), and trapezius muscles in 105 definite or probable ALS patients (54 bulbar, 51 nonbulbar). Results: More patients achieved complete relaxation of the frontalis muscle than the tongue or SCM. Motor unit potentials were of longer duration and higher amplitude in ALS patients than in controls ( P < 0.05). The frontalis had the same frequency of spontaneous potentials as the tongue, SCM, and trapezius muscles in bulbar ALS patients, but fewer than in the trapezius in nonbulbar patients. Conclusions: Examining the frontalis provides useful information in establishing the diagnosis of ALS by identifying clinically evident or subclinical abnormalities in the craniobulbar region. Muscle Nerve 54 : 1093–1096, 2016