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Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Muscle Velocity Recovery Cycles to Examine Muscle Membrane Properties
Published on: February 19, 2020
Muscle-fiber conduction velocity and electromyography as diagnostic tools in patients with suspected inflammatory
Paul J Blijham1, Gerald J D Hengstman, Henk J Ter Laak
1Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurology, University Medical Centre Nijmegen, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Combinations of different techniques can increase the diagnostic yield from neurophysiological examination of muscle. In 25 patients with suspected inflammatory myopathy, we prospectively performed needle electromyography (EMG) and measured muscle-fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) in a single muscle, using a technique with direct muscle-fiber stimulation and recording. Results of MFCV were compared with final diagnosis, EMG, and needle muscle biopsy. Diagnostic accuracy of combined MFCV and EMG studies was 72%, compared to 60% for EMG alone. This improvement was due to a gain in specificity. The MFCV did not prove useful in discriminating inflammatory myopathy from other myopathies. Furthermore, we found a correlation of 92% between variability of MFCV and myopathic changes in muscle biopsy. We conclude that the utility of electrodiagnostic examination can be increased if EMG examination is combined with MFCV studies.
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