THE ROLE OF ELECTROMYOGRAPHY IN NEUROLOGY

A review is given of the role of electromyography (EMG) for diagnosis, pathophysiological description and monitoring of patients with disord ers of the peripheral nervous system. Various EMG methods are presente d and their principal differences are discussed. The usefulness of the se methods varies depending on the pathology to be studied. With moder n quantitative methods for analysis, EMG has become more sensitive and accurate and is therefore an important part in the evaluation of the neurologic patient. EMG results are usually combined with findings fro m other neurophysiological investigations (neurography, evoked potenti als), histochemistry, biochemistry and, most importantly with the clin ical signs to give as complete a picture of the condition as possible. The usefulness of EMG depends on a number of factors other than the q uality of the investigation as such. These aspects are discussed brief ly. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.