Quantitative electromyographic examination in myogenic disorders of 6 horses.
Abstract: Electromyographic needle examination (EMG), including the semiautomatic quantitative analysis of motor unit action potential (MUAP), is an important diagnostic tool for myopathy in humans. The diagnostic possibilities of this technique have not been fully explored in horses; however, recent studies have shown that MUAP analysis can be performed in conscious horses. To determine the diagnostic possibilities of EMG in horses, we compared the EMG results of the subclavian muscle, the triceps, and the lateral vastus muscle in 6 equine patients thought to have myogenic disorders with those in 7 normal control horses. The EMG results were compared with the results of the histopathologic examination of the lateral vastus muscle in patients and controls. Histopathologic examination showed muscle disease in 3 patients. In the patient group, several types of abnormal spontaneous activities were observed (mainly fibrillation potentials and positive sharp waves), and the MUAPs of the patient group had a markedly shorter duration and lower amplitude than those of the control group. In the subclavian muscle, triceps, and lateral vastus muscle of affected horses, the MUAP duration was 5.0 +/- 0.4 (mean +/- SD), 3.9 +/- 0.3, and 4.7 +/- 1.1 milliseconds, respectively. The MUAP amplitude was 217 +/- 55, 150 +/- 74, and 180 +/- 54 microV; the number of phases was 2.4 +/- 0.2, 2.5 +/- 0.3, and 2.3 +/- 0.1; and the number of turns was 2.6 +/- 0.2, 2.4 +/- 0.2, and 2.8 +/- 0.5, respectively. In conclusion, it appears that the EMG may be a more sensitive method than other techniques for examining muscle biopsies for diagnosis of early-stage myopathy in horses.
Publication Date: 2003-04-10 PubMed ID: 12683619DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2003.tb02432.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Clinical Trial
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research suggests that Electromyographic needle examination (EMG) can be more effective than traditional techniques in diagnosing early-stage muscle disorders in horses. The EMG explores and measures the electrical activities generated by the muscles.
Background and Methodology
- The study focuses on the potential of an electromyographic needle examination (EMG), a routine procedure used to diagnose neuromuscular disorders in humans, to diagnose muscle disorders (myopathies) in horses.
- The researchers conducted the study by comparing the results of EMG in horses thought to have muscle disorders against horses with no known disorders. They used three muscles for the study: the subclavian muscle, the triceps, and the lateral vastus muscle.
- Additionally, they compared EMG results to the results obtained from a histopathological examination of the lateral vastus muscle in patients and controls. This comparison was done to establish the diagnostic capabilities of EMG against a conventional diagnostic procedure.
Findings
- The histopathological examination confirmed muscle disease in three out of six horses suspected of having myopathies.
- The patient group showed several types of abnormal spontaneous activities during the EMG, mainly fibrillation potentials and positive sharp waves, indications of muscle disorder. The Motor Unit Action Potentials (MUAPs) showed a markedly shorter duration and lower amplitude than those in the control group. These statistics varied for each of the muscles observed in the study.
- For example, in the affected lateral vastus muscle of horses, the MUAP duration was around 4.7 milliseconds, the amplitude was 180 microV, the number of phases was 2.3, and the number of turns was 2.8. All these figures differed from the healthy control group.
Conclusion
- Based on the results, the researchers concluded that EMG could be a more reliable method than existing techniques for identifying early-stage muscle disorders in horses. It detected abnormal activities and deviations in MUAP in the suspected horses, which were confirmed by histopathological examinations.
Cite This Article
APA
Wijnberg ID, Franssen H, Jansen GH, Back W, van der Kolk JH.
(2003).
Quantitative electromyographic examination in myogenic disorders of 6 horses.
J Vet Intern Med, 17(2), 185-193.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2003.tb02432.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Equine Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. i.wijnberg@vet.uu.nl
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Body Temperature
- Electromyography / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses
- Male
- Muscle, Skeletal / pathology
- Muscle, Skeletal / physiopathology
- Muscular Diseases / diagnosis
- Muscular Diseases / pathology
- Muscular Diseases / physiopathology
- Muscular Diseases / veterinary
- Rest
- Sensitivity and Specificity
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- van Spijk JN, Beckmann K, Wehrli Eser M, Boxler M, Stirn M, Rhyner T, Kaelin D, Saleh L, Schoster A. Adverse effects of polymyxin B administration to healthy horses. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Jul;36(4):1525-1534.
- Zakia LS, Palumbo MIP, Teixeira RBC, Resende LAL, Soares MP, de Oliveira-Filho JP, Amorim RM, Borges AS. Neuromyotonia in a horse. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Jan;33(1):287-291.
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