[The ultimate electromyographic patterns in reinnervated muscle (author's transl)]. / Elektromyographische Spätbefunde nach Reinnervation

ABSTRACT

We investigated 59 patients in later stages after section and suture (n =23) or transplantation (n = 36) of the ulnar or median nerve. The most typical change in electromyographic pattern consists in a markedly increase of mean amplitude, due to an increased number and concentration of muslce fibers in the reconstituted motor-units. The mean duration and the incidence of polyphasic potentials are only slightly increased, indicating a nearly synchronous excitement of the different muscle fibers of the various motor-units. In no case there is a complete recovery; the mean amplitude of evoked potentials in reinnervated muscles varied from 32% in poor-, to 62% in satisfactory reinnervation, compared with the corresponding normal muscle in the opposite hand.