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Following disease progression in motor neuron disorders with 3 motor unit number estimation methods
Author(s) -
Jacobsen Anna Bystrup,
Bostock Hugh,
Tankisi Hatice
Publication year - 2019
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.26304
Subject(s) - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , medicine , motor unit , compound muscle action potential , physical medicine and rehabilitation , cardiology , physical therapy , disease , electrophysiology , anatomy
The objective of this study was to evaluate a recently developed motor unit number estimation (MUNE) method, MScanFit MUNE (MScan), as a measure of disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) compared with compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude and 2 traditional MUNE methods. Methods ALS patients were evaluated clinically using the ALS Functional Rating Scale—Revised (ALSFRS‐R). MScan, multiple‐point stimulation MUNE (MPS), and motor unit number index (MUNIX) were performed in the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscle at baseline (27 patients), 4 months (23 patients), and 8 months (16 patients). Results Of the 5 measures, MScan registered the largest decline (8.7% per month), compared with MPS (3.4%), MUNIX (4.8%), CMAP amplitude (2.0%), and ALSFRS‐R (1.9%). Only MScan and ALSFRS‐R registered significant decrements over 4 and 8 months. Discussion MScan may be useful as a sensitive, objective tool for quantifying motor unit loss in ALS. Muscle Nerve 59 :82–87, 2019