Motor nerve conduction and electromyography in thromboangitis obliterans
Chopra, J.S.; Julka, N.K.; Jawalkar, S.; Khanna, S.K.; Wahi, P.L.
Indian Journal of Medical Research 76: 868-874
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5340 PMID: 7169243 Document Number: 188579
Motor nerve conduction studies in the lateral popliteal and median nerves and electromyography (EMG) in the tibialis anterior and abductor pollicis brevis muscles were performed in 25 nondiabetic patients of thromboangitis obliterans and 24 age matched controls without any evidence suggestive of peripheral vascular disease of peripheral neuropathy. There were no statistically significant differences in the motor conduction velocities between the 2 groups. The terminal latency in the lateral popliteal nerve among the patients was significantly shorter as compared with the controls. This paradoxical observation was considered to be due to increased nerve excitability on account of ischemia. EMG of tibialis anterior and abductor pollicis brevis muscles in the patient group revealed evidence of peripheral neurogenic lesion. There was increased duration of muscle action potentials, higher incidence of polyphasic potentials, increased amplitude of action potentials at maximal effort in this group as compared with the controls. Apparently, there is no difference in the EMG findings whether the occlusive vascular lesion is in the large or medium sized vessels (atherosclerosis), or medium and small sized vessels (thromboangitis).