ELECTROMYOGRAPHY - DO THE DIAGNOSTIC ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS

Background: Physicians are sometimes reluctant to refer patients for e lectrodiagnostic studies (electromyography with nerve conduction studi es [EMG/NCS]) believing the test is too painful and of little benefit. Methods: We performed two separate surveys on 126 and 100 consecutive patients referred to our laboratory to determine if EMG/NCS was benef icial to the referring physician and to compare the level of anxiety e xperienced by patients before the study with the pain actually experie nced during the study. Results: The electrodiagnosis was discordant fr om the referring diagnosis in 39% of the patients with an abnormal EMG /NCS. Pretest anxiety levels were low in 59% of the patients, medium i n 27%, and high in 14%. After the tests, 82% of the patients said that the test was not as bad as expected, and was generally only mildly pa inful. Ninety-three responded that they would have the test performed again. Conclusions: EMG/NCS often suggest alternative diagnoses, and t he actual pain experienced during an EMG/NCS study is significantly le ss than expected. (C) 1995 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitat ion