OBJECTIVES To identify clinical factors associated with falls by older persons with polyneuropathy (PN). DESIGN A cross-sectional study of 82 subjects aged 50 to 85 with clinical and electrodiagnostic evidence of PN. SETTING Electrodiagnostic and biomechanical research laboratories. PARTICIPANTS Patients referred to the electrodiagnostic laboratory. MEASUREMENTS History and physical exa...

The anatomy and pathophysiology of radiculopathies are reviewed, and the electrodiagnostic approaches used in evaluating patients with suspected root lesions are discussed. Such electrophysiologic procedures include motor and sensory nerve conduction studies, late-response studies, somatosensory and motor evoked potentials, nerve root stimulation, and needle electromyography. The value and limi...

Dr. Kelly highlights several presentations of particular interest, including an analysis of the usefulness of electrodiagnostic criteria in the diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, and a study of the effects of exercise and diet on impaired glucose tolerance neuropathy.

Brachial plexus neuritis is reportedly caused by various factors; however, it has not been described in association with Streptococcus agalactiae. This is a case report of a patient diagnosed with brachial plexus neuritis associated with pyogenic arthritis of the shoulder. A 57-year-old man visited the hospital complaining of sudden weakness and painful swelling of the left arm. The diagnosis w...

Arsenic-induced polyneuropathy is traditionally classified as an axonal-loss type, electrodiagnostically resulting in low amplitude or absent sensory and motor responses, relatively preserved proximal and distal motor conduction rates, and distal denervation. We report four patients with a subacute onset progressive polyradiculoneuropathy following high-dose arsenic poisoning. In three patients...

Sciatic nerve injury after stretching exercise is uncommon. We report a case of an 18-year-old female trained dancer who developed sciatic neuropathy primarily involving the tibial division after routine stretching exercise. The patient presented with dysesthesia and weakness of the right foot during dorsiflexion and plantarflexion. The mechanism of sciatic nerve injury could be thought as hype...

Acute weakness associated with West Nile virus (WNV) infection has previously been attributed to a peripheral demyelinating process (Guillain-Barré syndrome); however, the exact etiology of this acute flaccid paralysis has not been systematically assessed. To thoroughly describe the clinical, laboratory, and electrodiagnostic features of this paralysis syndrome, we evaluated acute flaccid paral...

Electrodiagnosis, which includes nerve conduction and needle electromyographic studies, is an essential element in the evaluation of peripheral neuropathies. A systematic approach to the electrodiagnostic evaluation aids in clarifying the distribution and extent of involvement, type of nerve damage, and time course. When these data are combined with clinical information, a full characterization...

We reviewed the medical records of 233 patients having electrodiagnostic evidence of polyradiculopathy. Patients with polyneuropathy or incomplete diagnostic evaluation were excluded. A clinical diagnosis was secured in 92 of the 118 remaining patients. Patients were separated into three groups based upon the anatomic location of root involvement: extradural (55), intradural-extraaxial (23), an...