The Electrodiagnostic Center is comprised of two laboratories with a thorough complement of tests to aid physicians in the study and treatment of neurophysiologic abnormalities. Physicians rely on the combined advances in clinical neurophysiology and computer technology at the center to obtain an expansive evaluation of brain, nerve and muscle function. Both inpatient and outpatient studies are available.

A specialist in electrodiagnostic medicine may be consulted to establish an accurate diagnosis of a clinical problem that suggests a patient has a neuromuscular disorder. First, the physician conducts a focused history, physical examination and an electrophysiologic evaluation of selected functions of the central nervous system, nerve roots, peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junction and muscles. These studies also help physicians determine the best treatment approach, as well as the prognosis for recovery.

Services offered at MossRehab for Electrodiagnostic Center include:

• Nerve conduction studies of the limbs
• Electromyography of limb and paraspinal muscles
• Phrenic nerve conduction studies
• Diaphragmatic EMG
• Pelvic nerve conduction and EMG studies
• Blink reflex studies and cranial nerve NCS/EMG studies
• Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP)
• Brainstem auditory evoked potentials
• Objective audiometry
• Visual evoked potentials

PROGRAM FOCUS

Patients who may benefit from referral to the Electrodiagnostic Center include those with:

• Neck, back or limb pain
• Weakness related to nerve or muscle disease
• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Neuromuscular disorders – Muscular Dystrophy
• Neuromuscular junction disorders – myasthenia gravis, Lambert Eaton Myesthenic Syndrome
• Neuropathies – Guillain Barre Syndrome, critical illness neuropathy
• Heavy metal poisoning
• Traumatic neuropathies
• Entrapment neuropathies – Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Radiculopathies due to a herniated disc or spinal stenosis
• Motor neuron diseases – Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Post Polio Syndrome
• Cranial problems – Bell’s Palsy

SPECIAL PROGRAM FEATURES

In the Brain Electrophysiology Laboratory, physicians use a variety of noninvasive studies of the central nervous system, including SEP, to analyze the spinal cord, brain stem and brain. The lab test results reveal the continuity and quality of conduction through central nervous system pathways to determine which nerve pathways are open and functioning properly and which are impaired. Physicians use these tests to diagnose nervous system disorders, locate sites of nerve damage and evaluate a patient's condition after treatment or surgery.

During SEP, electrophysiologists use three major types of stimulation -- visual, auditory and somatosensory -- to assess sensory pathways through the nervous system. Using visual stimulation, our physicians check the nerve pathways from the eye to the brain, while auditory stimulation is used to check the pathway from the ear to the brain and somatosensory stimulation is used to evaluate the pathway from the upper and lower extremity to the brain.

The term Electromyography is often used to describe the entire spectrum of electrodiagnosis of nerve and muscle diseases, including nerve conduction studies. Strictly speaking, however, EMG refers only to the needle examination of bioelectric activity of the muscles. Abnormalities are described and quantified for interpretation and integration to the final diagnosis.

In diagnosing nerve and muscle diseases, experts at the Electrodiagnostic Center also offer an extensive array of nerve conduction studies including:

• Common and uncommon motor nerve conduction studies
• Common and uncommon sensory nerve conduction studies
• Late responses such as H reflex and F wave
• Repetitive nerve stimulation study
• Blink reflex
• Phrenic nerve conduction study to evaluate diaphragm function
• Pelvic nerve conduction studies to assess for incontinence