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Updated: Mar 3, 2026
Measurements of Motor Function and Other Clinical Outcome Parameters in Ambulant Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Published on: January 12, 2019
Quantitative electromyography in ambulatory boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Sumit Verma1,2,3, Jenny Lin1,2,3, Curtis Travers1
1Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, 30307, USA.
Introduction:
This study's objective was to evaluate quantitative electromyography (QEMG) using multiple-motor-unit (multi-MUP) analysis in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
Methods:
Ambulatory DMD boys, aged 5-15 years, were evaluated with QEMG at 6-month intervals over 14 months. EMG was performed in the right biceps brachii (BB) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. Normative QEMG data were obtained from age-matched healthy boys. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed.
Results:
Eighteen DMD subjects were enrolled, with a median age of 7 (interquartile range 7-10) years. Six-month evaluations were performed on 14 subjects. QEMG showed significantly abnormal mean MUP duration in BB and TA muscles, with no significant change over 6 months.
Conclusions:
QEMG is a sensitive electrophysiological marker of myopathy in DMD. Preliminary data do not reflect a significant change in MUP parameters over a 6-month interval; long-term follow-up QEMG studies are needed to understand its role as a biomarker for disease progression. Muscle Nerve 56: 1361-1364, 2017.
