Hua Pan1, Fan Jian1, Jinxi Lin1, Na Chen1, Zaiqiang Zhang1, Yongjun Wang1, Liying Cui2, Jun Kimura3. 1. Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100050, China. 2. Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China. 3. Division of Clinical Electrophysiology, Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: We sought to determine which muscles to choose for better assessment of the craniobulbar region in establishing the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHODS: We studied the frontalis muscle in 83 controls and compared it with the tongue, sternocleidomastoid (SCM), and trapezius muscles in 105 definite or probable ALS patients (54 bulbar, 51 nonbulbar). RESULTS: More patients achieved complete relaxation of the frontalis muscle than the tongue or SCM. Motor unit potentials were of longer duration and higher amplitude in ALS patients than in controls (P < 0.05). The frontalis had the same frequency of spontaneous potentials as the tongue, SCM, and trapezius muscles in bulbar ALS patients, but fewer than in the trapezius in nonbulbar patients. CONCLUSIONS: Examining the frontalis provides useful information in establishing the diagnosis of ALS by identifying clinically evident or subclinical abnormalities in the craniobulbar region. Muscle Nerve 54: 1093-1096, 2016.
INTRODUCTION: We sought to determine which muscles to choose for better assessment of the craniobulbar region in establishing the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHODS: We studied the frontalis muscle in 83 controls and compared it with the tongue, sternocleidomastoid (SCM), and trapezius muscles in 105 definite or probable ALSpatients (54 bulbar, 51 nonbulbar). RESULTS: More patients achieved complete relaxation of the frontalis muscle than the tongue or SCM. Motor unit potentials were of longer duration and higher amplitude in ALSpatients than in controls (P < 0.05). The frontalis had the same frequency of spontaneous potentials as the tongue, SCM, and trapezius muscles in bulbar ALSpatients, but fewer than in the trapezius in nonbulbar patients. CONCLUSIONS: Examining the frontalis provides useful information in establishing the diagnosis of ALS by identifying clinically evident or subclinical abnormalities in the craniobulbar region. Muscle Nerve 54: 1093-1096, 2016.
Authors: Daniel J Levendowski; Erik K St Louis; Luigi Ferini Strambi; Andrea Galbiati; Philip Westbrook; Chris Berka Journal: Nat Sci Sleep Date: 2018-12-06