Electrodiagnostics Flashcards
(222 cards)
EMG electrodes:
The active electrode is the electrode attached to the (negative or positive) terminal?
Negative terminal
EMG:
Insertion activity will be decreased in?
Insertion activity will be increased in?
How long should insertion activity last?
Insertion activity decreased in fibrosis (lack of healthy myofibers)
Insertion activity increased in denervation or inflammation
Insertion activity should not last longer than 300ms
Figure: Insertional activity. Note the abrupt onset and termination of activity associated with needle placement
(Cuddon)
EMG:
_____ is the small depolarization of the postsynaptic membrane induced by the sustained random release of a single quantum of ACh
Miniature End Plate Potentials
- spontaneous, subliminal electrical activity in normal muscle
- frequency varies (increases with elev. temp)
- Amplitude 5-50uV (usually 5-15), duration 1-2ms
- (sounds like a seashell)
Figure: Miniature end plate potentials with 2 end plate spikes indicating close proximity of the needle to an end plate
(Cuddon)
EMG:
Miniature End Plate Potentials (MEPPs)
How are they affected by denervation? Myasthenia? botulism?
Miniature end plate potentials MEPPs:
Cease after denervation
Normal frequency, decreased amplitude in MG
Decreased Frequency, normal amplitude in botulism
(Cuddon)
EMG:
_______ is spontaneous EMG activity that results from the discharge of a single muscle fiber
End plate spikes:
- commonly associated with miniature end plate potentials
- Result from the discharge of a single muscle fiber that is excited by activity in nerve terminals
- Intermittent, with an irregular firing rate
- Amplitude 100 - 200uV, duration 2-4ms
- Initial NEGATIVITY and is BIPHASIC
(Cuddon)
EMG:
____ are EMG discharges seen associated with mild voluntary muscle contraction
Motor Unit Action Potentials (MUAPs)
- seen with mild voluntary muscle contraction
- Consist of isolated discharge of 1-few motor units
- A compound action potential of all myofibers in electrode recording range
- Generally biphasic or triphasic with initial NEGATIVE phase
- Occasional polyphasic waves are acceptable as normal
- Semirhythmic with a slowly increasing, then decreasing interspike interval during constant contraction
- Amplitude 100 - 3000uV, rate 5-7Hz, duration 1-12msec
- RECRUITMENT - increasing strength of muscle contraction –> successive activation of the same and new motor units
(Cuddon)
EMG:
What is an interference pattern associated with motor unit action potentials?
Simultaneous discharge of many different MUAPs (precluding individual MUAP recognition)
- Myopathy –> decreased AMPLITUDE of MUAPs (normal density) - same number of functioning motor units, but fewer myofibers/unit
- Partial denervation –> decrease in DENSITY of MUAPs - individual MUAPs still discernible
(Cuddon)
EMG:
What is abnormal activity related to MUAPs that results in differences in conduction time along nerve branch/muscle fiber; or temporal dispersion of muscle fiber potentials?
Polyphasia
- There is a loss of individual myofibers from a motor unit while others survive –> loss of the normal smooth algebraic summation and results in 4-5 phases within the waveform
(Cuddon)
EMG:
4 causes of doublet/triplet MUAP:
What causes smaller amplitude MUAP?
- latent tetani
- metabolic states associated with motor neuron pool hyperexcitability
- motor neuron disease or radiculopathy
- myotonic dystrophy
Smaller amplitude MUAP = myopathy
(Cuddon)
EMG:
What abnormality results in a decreased amplitude and duration of MUAP?
Primary myopathy (myofiber destruction)
(Cuddon)
EMG:
Decreased amplitude and short duration MUAP likely cause? (2)
Long duration MUAP likely cause?
Decreased amplitude and short duration MUAP
- distal neuropathy –> damaged axon terminals –> random loss of myofibers
- reinnervation –> immature motor units with only a few fibers
Long duration MUAP
- myopathy with regenerating fibers
(Cuddon)
EMG:
How does reinnervation/neuropathy affect MUAP?
Giant MUAPs:
- Represents loss of innervation to a group of myofibers –> collateral branch of another motor unit has grown in to innervate those myofibers
- The number of myofibers contributing to a motor unit doubles or triples
- New nerve branches have a thinner myelin sheath –> decreased NCV –> polyphasic/asynchronous Giant MUAP
Collateral sprouting –> Increased MUAP amplitude, +/- increased duration, +/- polyphasia
Regeneration of axons –> increased MUAP amplitude
Histopathologic correlate is fiber type grouping
_** Polyphasic MUAP or increased size of MUAP = neuropathy_
(Cuddon/Brain camp)
EMG:
________ is caused by the spontaneous action of a single myofiber which is abnormal
Fibrillation potentials
- the majority of fibrillation potentials are induced by needle insertion (and are not spontaneous)
- Amplitude 10-200uV, 0.5 - 3ms duration
- Initial deflection is usually POSITIVE (will be negative if recorded within an endplate zone)
- Sound: frying egg, wrinkling tissue paper
(Cuddon)
EMG:
Causes for fibrillation potentials (3)
- hypersensitive, denervated myofibers
- in dogs and cats there is an increase in sensitivity to ACh within a few hours after denervation, although it takes 4-5 days to be able to record increased insertional activity
- This slightly precedes the presence of fibrillation
- The abnormal activity becomes especially prominent at approximately 8-10 day post-injury
- Fibrillations are first reported in lg animals at approximately 12-16 days post denervation
- polymyositis
- muscular dystrophy
(Cuddon)
EMG:
A marked decrease in the density of fibrillation may indicate?
Successful motor neuron reinnervation
replacement of myofibers by fibrous tissue
(differentiated by clinical evaluation)
(Cuddon)
EMG:
_____ is an abnormal EMG potential that consists of an initial positive spike, followed by a shorter, slow, and small negative potential
Positive sharp waves
- Thought to originate from irritated muscle membrane with the potential stopping at an area immediately adjacent to the needle electrode
(Cuddon)
Positive sharp waves:
- # of fibers?
- Amplitude? Duration?
- Firing pattern?
- Sound?
- Morphology?
- Single fiber
- 20uV - 1mV (same as fibrillation potential) , <5ms (+/- neg phase 10-100ms)
- Regular firing pattern 1-50Hz
- Sound like dull thud
- Morphology - initial positive (downward) spike followed by a much shorter, slow negative potential
“mean the same thing as fibrillation potentials,” and can occur with fibrillation potentials
EMG:
__________ are polyphasic or serrated action potential with a uniform frequency, shape and amplitude
Complex repetitive discharges (CRD)
- may begin spontaneously or after needle movement
- ABRUPT onset, cessation, or change in configuration
- Amplitude 100uV - 1mV, frequency 5-100Hz
- represents a group of myofibers firing near synchrony
- Sound like a machine gun
- Seen in a wide range of chronic denervating conditions, and in some myopathies
(Cuddon)
EMG:
______ are abnormal repetitive discharges at a rate of 20 - 80Hz
Myotonic potentials
- 2 types = sustained run for 5-20msec, (resemble positive sharp waves)
- Sustained run of biphasic spike potentials (<5msec) consisting of an initial small positive peak followed by a larger negative peak (resemble fibrillation)
- The amplitude and frequency of the potentials must wax and wane to be classified as myotonic
- DIVE BOMBER
(Cuddon)
EMG:
What diseases cause myotonic potentials?
injured single myofibers –> independent, repetitive discharges
- caused by primary muscle disease
- cased by steroids
(Cuddon)
How does EMG influence serum CK?
For both dogs and horses, mean values for serum Ck do show increases although are still usually within the normal range both at 4-24h after EMG evaluation
The CK returns to baseline 48h after EMG
(Cuddon)
NCV:
Stimulating electrodes consist of an anode (positive or negative pole) and a cathode (positive or negative pole)
Where should the cathode and cathode be placed in relation to the recording site? (and why)
Where should the ground electrode be placed and why?
Anode = positive/red/reference. Should be farthest from recording electrodes
Cathode = negative/black/active. Should be CLOSE to the nerve
The positive charge of the anode hyperpolarizes the nerve - should be placed farthest away to prevent “anodal block” where the positive charge prevents depolarization/propagation
The negative charge of the anode depolarizes the nerve
The ground electrode should be between the stimulating and recording electrodes - important to diminish stimulus artifact
(Cuddon)

_____ are electrical events recorded when:
peripheral nerve stimulated –> electrical events elicited from neurons, synapses or axons
Somatosensory evoked potential (SEP)
- The spinal cord and brain potentials arise from sensory pathways, information about motor pathways can be inferred (because at many points the pathways are adjacent to each other)
(Cuddon)
What is the most significant source of artifact in somatosensory evoked potentials? How can it be eliminated?
Skeletal muscle artifacts
- muscle fibers near the recording electrodes contract spontaneously –> irregular baseline, high voltages
- nerve stimulation causes direct or reflex muscle contraction –> artifact that is TIME LOCKED into the stimulus –> appears in the final SSEP recording
- Eliminated with muscle paralytic
(Cuddon)






































