Background/aim: Although ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE) is the second most common entrapment mononeuropathy, there are few reports on its neurophysiological classification. In this study, we tried to find out the role of needle electromyography (EMG) in the neurophysiological classification of UNE. Materials and methods: UNE patients who met the clinical and neurophysiological diagnostic criteria and healthy individuals were included in this study. Reference values of nerve conduction studies were obtained from healthy individuals. Needle EMG was performed to all UNE patients. According to the neurophysiological classification proposed by Padua, UNE patients were classified as mild, moderate, and severe. Results: Thirty-one controls and thirty-five UNE patients were included in the study. There was mild UNE in 23 patients, moderate UNE in 8, and severe UNE in 4. Abnormal needle EMG findings were present in all patients with moderate and severe UNE and in 12 patients with mild UNE. Conclusion: Abnormal needle EMG findings are seen in most of the UNE patients. Therefore, it is not practical to use needle EMG findings in the neurophysiological classification. Needle EMG abnormalities may also be present in patients with mild UNE due to axonal degeneration or motor conduction block.

Objectives: Although compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitudes of the nerves are reduced in sciatic nerve injury due to intramuscular injection (SNIII), they may still be higher than the reference values if there is a mild axonal degeneration. In this case, comparing the outcomes of nerve conduction studies of intact and affected lower extremities becomes important. We aimed to determine the role of this comparison in the diagnosis of SNIII. Methods: Patients with SNIII were included. Reference values for lower extremity nerve conduction studies were obtained from healthy participants. Peroneal, posterior tibial, superficial peroneal, and sural nerve conduction studies were performed in both lower extremities. In the first analysis, the CMAP or SNAP amplitude of the nerve was considered abnormal if it was less than the reference value. In the second analysis, the CMAP or SNAP amplitude of the nerve was considered abnormal if it was less than the reference value or <50% of the CMAP or SNAP amplitude obtained from the intact limb nerve. Results: Thirty patients and 31 controls were included in the study. Compared with those found in the first analysis, the number of posterior tibial nerve CMAPs with reduced amplitudes, and the sural and superficial peroneal nerve SNAPs with reduced amplitudes were higher in the second analysis (P = 0.008, P < 0.001, and P = 0.031; respectively). Conclusion: This study showed that nerve conduction studies should be performed in both the intact and affected extremities in SNIII.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CreativeCommons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) where it is permissible to download, share, remix, transform, and buildup the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be used commercially without permission from the journal. AbstractAim: Late neuromuscular deterioration may be seen in patients with a history of paralytic poliomyelitis. One of these problems is the development of a new weakness in clinically unaffected muscles. We aimed to determine needle electromyography (EMG) findings in these clinically unaffected limb muscles and to contribute to the physiotherapy strategies of poliomyelitis. Methods: Patients with sequelae of poliomyelitis were included in this retrospective cohort study. Needle EMG findings of the patients were reviewed. If there were neurogenic needle EMG findings in the limb or muscle with no weakness, this muscle or limb was considered to be a subclinically affected muscle or limb. Results: Eighteen patients were included in the study. Needle EMG findings of 190 muscles were analyzed. In the lower extremities, 18 (72%) of 25 clinically unaffected muscles had neurogenic needle EMG findings, and 14 (35%) of 40 upper extremity muscles had subclinical involvement. In the lower extremity muscles, this subclinical involvement was significantly higher than in the upper extremity muscles (P=0.004). In clinically unaffected upper and lower extremity muscles, the most prominent neurogenic needle EMG findings were in the deltoideus and vastus lateralis muscles, respectively (P=0.022 and P=0.028, respectively). Conclusion: Subclinical involvement was more prominent in the lower extremity than in the upper extremity in polio survivors with weakness of lower extremity. The most prominent subclinical muscle involvement in the lower and upper extremities was the vastus lateralis and deltoideus muscles, respectively. We think that physical therapy strategies considering these findings will be beneficial for polio survivors.

Objective of this study was to determine which nerve conduction is more sensitive electrophysiologically in the diagnosis of polyneuropathy in diabetics by evaluating the sensory conduction in medial plantar nerve and medial peroneal (dorsal) cutaneous nerves. Additionally to investigate the relation between Neuropathy Symptom Score (NSS) and Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS) values used in the diagnosis of these conduction studies. Forty patients with diagnosis diabetic neuropathy were included into this study. In diabetic polyneuropathic patient group, both medial plantar and medial dorsal cutaneous nerve sensory action potential were not bilaterally obtained in 19 patients (47.5%). Sensitivity and specificity of medial dorsal cutaneous nerve and medial plantar nerve sensory conduction abnormalities in diagnosis of diabetic polyneuropathy were higher compared to sural nerve conduction abnormalities. This study showed that both medial plantar and medial dorsal cutaneous nerve conduction study performed bilaterally was a highly sensitive and specific method in diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy.

Ethics committee approval was obtained from the clinical research ethics committee of Adana City Training and Research Hospital (number: 45/622).