Electrodiagnosis: How to Read Electromyography Reports for the Nonneurophysiologist

Ruple S Laughlin; Devon I Rubin

doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2022.05.003

Electrodiagnosis: How to Read Electromyography Reports for the Nonneurophysiologist

Neurol Clin. 2023 Feb;41(1):45-60. doi: 10.1016/j.ncl.2022.05.003. Epub 2022 Oct 29.

Authors

Ruple S Laughlin¹, Devon I Rubin²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Mayo E8A, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. Electronic address: Laughlin.Ruple@mayo.edu.
² Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Florida, NeurologyFLA - Mangurian Building 4428, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.

PMID: 36400558
DOI: 10.1016/j.ncl.2022.05.003

Abstract

An electrodiagnostic evaluation is a neurodiagnostic test commonly used to evaluate neuromuscular conditions. A typical electromyography (EMG) report consists of tabular data summarizing findings from nerve conduction studies (NCS) as well as needle EMG (nEMG). A text summary of these findings is also included, followed by a clinical interpretation that evaluates the obtained NCS and nEMG in the context of the clinical presentation. For electrophysiologists and nonelectrophysiologists alike, understanding the elements of EMG report, patterns of findings in common neuromuscular conditions, and potential technical errors that can erroneously influence the clinical interpretation is vital.

Keywords: EMG; Electrodiagnosis; Electromyography; Needle; Nerve conduction studies; Report interpretation.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Electromyography
Humans
Neurologic Examination
Neuromuscular Diseases* / diagnosis