[Electromyographic and electroneurographic findings in bronchial carcinoma]

Twenty one patients with confirmed bronchial carcinoma were checked by clinical, electromyographical and electroneurographical methods. None of these patients underwent cytostatic therapy. Clinical findings were: 4 patients suffered from polyneuropathy (PNP) and myelopathy (MP). 3 patients had PNP alone, 3 had MP. We could support these findings by EMG in 7 patients with PNP. 4 of these cases had a lowered motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV). In 4 cases without clinical symptoms we could show a lowered MNCV at the distal legs and affection of the motor neuron by EMG. 3 further cases without clinical symptoms showed only a lowered MNCV. 5 patients had proximal pareses. Signs of MP were not found in these cases. In conclusion we found a significantly lowered MNCV in 5 cases: only two of these showed clinical signs of PNP. Pathological EMG changes were mostly found in patients with squamous cell carcinoma, sometimes also in patients with oat cell carcinoma. Thus, clinical, electromyographic and electroneurographic findings did not always correlate in our cases.