[Clinico-electromyographic studies in compression and reflex syndromes of spinal osteochondrosis]

The authors carried out electromyographic (EMG) examinations of 115 patients with the compression and reflectory syndromes of vertebral osteochondritis using superficial and needle electrodes. The use of muscular innervation schemes developed by Soviet authors has made it possible to reveal a monoradicular pathology in 32 out of 54 patients examined. It was also found that the electromyographic phenomena characteristic for the pathology of the 1st sacral radicle were more marked than those characterizing the pathology of the Vth lumbar radicle. In patients with cervical osteochondrosis, prevalent were reflectory syndromes to which diffuse EMG changes corresponded. The EMG examinations with the use of needle electrodes revealed a low-amplitude spontaneous activity, a slight deceleration of the rhythm, and a lowered amplitude of the oscillations in the affected muscle. However especially demonstrative was a prolongation of the potential of the motor units on the side of the affection. The clinical, electromyographic, and roentgenological findings taken together contribute to a more precise diagnosing of the compression and reflectory syndromes of vertebral osteochondritis.