Neuromuscular Action Potentials and Test of Cervical Spondylosis (Paperback)

Evoked EMG M-responses obtained from the thenar muscle in the palm by electrical stimulation of the median nerve demonstrate a well established smooth bipolar shape for normal healthy subjects. Kinks or non-stationary variations in this curve are observed in certain neurological disorders and preliminary work suggests their relationship to cervical spondylosis. Different methodologies in the time domain and frequency domain have been followed for quantitative analysis of neurological disorders.The present work was taken up to develop an objective method for the identification of such neurological disorders for automated diagnosis by analysing the M- responses. A Fourier transform was performed, and features in the frequency domain were studied to distinguish healthy and smooth M-responses from ones with kinks. Out of the 39 parameters 10 came out as 'highly significant',17 as 'significant' and the rest as insignificant, in statistical t- tests.A weighted combination of the significant parameters may allow identification of kinks with confidence.