Adapted Finnish Migraine-Specific Questionnaire for family studies (FMSQ(FS)): a validation study in two languages.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The hypothesis of a genetic component in the etiology of migraine is getting a foothold. However, to explore genetic associations, precision in clinical phenotypization is crucial. For this reason, migraine-specific questionnaires, well discriminating between primary headaches, are required when large numbers of individuals need to be assessed. METHODS: We adapted and translated in two languages, German and Italian, the Finnish Migraine-Specific Questionnaire for use in family studies. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: This adaptation proved to be reliable when differentiating from primary headaches, and to be in very good agreement with the standard for comparison. However, discriminating between migraine with and without aura still relays on a specialist evaluation. This article describes the validation of this questionnaire.

Pitfalls in using the ring finger test alone for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Latency differences (>0.5 ms) of median and ulnar sensory action potentials (mSAP and uSAP) at the wrist evoked by ring finger stimulation are considered a sensitive and specific test for diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). In this study, we aimed to assess the practical usefulness of the ring finger test (RFT) in routine electromyography (EMG) examinations. We investigated 2 series of patients: in the first prospective series we considered 300 hands affected by only mild CTS; in the second series we examined retrospectively the EMG charts of 961 hands affected only by CTS but not selected for severity or duration of symptoms. In the first series we found pathological RFT scores in 87% of cases, and pathological RFT or mSAP latency results in 92%. In the second series, pathological RFT scores were found only in 55% of cases, while in 20% where mSAP failed, a volume conducted uSAP had been erroneously interpreted as arising from the median nerve. RFT sensitivity tested in routine EMG examinations of unselected hands affected by CTS drops considerably. Fingers innervated by one only nerve, such as the index and the little fingers, must also be investigated to increase the diagnostic value of RFT.

Active blockage and rest position nystagmus: electromyographic demonstration of two types of ocular induced head-turn.

A differentiation of two types of head-turns due to nystagmus, by means of electromyography (EMG) is demonstrated in this paper. The first type is represented by patients who actively block the nystagmus, by means of an increase of discharge of the extraocular muscles who are synergistic and responsible for the head-turn. This block has the same features of the block of nystagmus in convergence and usually exceeds 10-15 degrees from the primary position. The second type is made out of patients whose head-turn is explained with the null-position of Kestenbaum. Here the nystagmus simply disappears in the position of head-turn, which usually is of no more than 10-15 degrees. Both types of patients show the same electronystagmographic features in the position of head-turn. This differentiation is useful from the clinical standpoint. In fact, only the first type of head-turn may require, besides a classical Anderson or Kestenbaum procedure, also a posterior fixation suture according to Cüppers. This operation would be useless in the second type of head-turn. Clinical signs useful for differentiating these two types of head-turn are presented as well.