Ta. Park et Gf. Harris, GUIDED INTRAMUSCULAR FINE WIRE ELECTRODE PLACEMENT - A NEW TECHNIQUE, American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation, 75(3), 1996, pp. 232-234
This report describes a new technique for placing intramuscular fine w
ire electrodes into muscles for kinesiologic electromyographic (EMG) s
tudies. Currently, a pair of fine wire electrodes (one active, one ref
erence) within a hypodermic needle is inserted into the selected muscl
e. The needle is then withdrawn, leaving the two fine wires positioned
within the muscle. Electrical stimulation of the muscle through these
fine wire electrodes confirms their correct placement. However, if po
sitioning is incorrect, additional pairs of wires are inserted within
needles until correct placement is achieved, Our ''guided'' method com
bines this ''blind'' technique with diagnostic needle EMC techniques.
Using a conventional EMG machine and selective activation of the desir
ed muscle, the electromyographer inserts the hypodermic needle while m
onitoring the muscle's electrical signal through the advancing fine wi
re electrodes. This signal is used to ''guide'' the needle into the pr
oper muscle. Once correct positioning of the wires is confirmed by the
EMG signal, the needle is removed. With this technique, additional ne
edle insertions are avoided, electrical stimulation is seldom needed,
and rarely studied muscles are accessed as easily as commonly studied
ones. We have used this technique with pediatric and adult patients as
well as in kinesiologic EMG research and have found it to be well tol
erated and reliable.