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Quantitative laryngeal electromyography: turns and amplitude analysis
Melissa McCarty Statham1, Clark A Rosen, Sanjeev D Nandedkar
1Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 15213, USA.
The Laryngoscope
|September 9, 2010
Summary
This study establishes quantitative norms for laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) motor unit recruitment in controls. Patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (VFP) showed significantly fewer motor units compared to healthy individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Otolaryngology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) is typically a qualitative assessment.
- A standardized interpretation approach for LEMG is lacking.
- Quantitative analysis of motor unit recruitment in the thyroarytenoid-lateral cricoarytenoid (TA-LCA) muscle complex is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- Establish quantitative norms for TA-LCA motor unit recruitment in healthy controls.
- Compare quantitative LEMG interference pattern analysis between controls and patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (VFP).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective case-control study involving 21 controls and 16 patients with unilateral VFP.
- Standardized LEMG protocol using a concentric needle electrode with variable force TA-LCA contractions.
- Quantification of interference pattern density via turns and mean amplitude per turn measurements, analyzed using logarithmic regression.
Main Results:
- High correlation (R = 0.82) found between mean amplitude per turn and root-mean-square amplitude in controls.
- Controls exhibited significantly higher median turns per second (450) compared to patients with unilateral VFP (290, P = .002).
Conclusions:
- Motor unit recruitment in the TA-LCA muscle complex can be quantitatively measured using interference pattern analysis.
- This study presents the first quantitative interference pattern analysis of the TA-LCA in healthy adults and patients with unilateral VFP.
- Patients with unilateral VFP demonstrate significantly reduced motor unit recruitment compared to controls.
