Paediatric Electromyography

Electromyography (EMG) is a diagnostic modality that offers enormous value to the investigation of neuromuscular disease. It is able to quickly identify abnormalities which, if they have to be identified by other means, require more expensive or more painful methods of investigation, such as muscle biopsy. However, despite its diagnostic/prognostic value, electromyography is often avoided in children, often due to the misconception that the investigation is too painful or too difficult to be performed in paediatric patients.

Paediatric Electromyography will attempt to dispel many of the misconceptions about paediatric EMG by drawing on the author's extensive experience in treating patients using this technique at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. The book includes a very clear and well illustrated description of the basic neurophysiology essential to any person practising EMG, and the differences in the performance and interpretation of the tests in children are highlighted.

Table of Contents

1: Introduction
2: Basic physiology
3: Nerve physiology
4: Pathophysiological correlations in neuropathies
5: Nerve damage and entrapment syndromes
6: Motor unit anatomy and physiology
7: Needle EMG findings in different pathologies
8: Investigation of channelopathies
9: Techniques used to test the NMJ in children
10: Pathophysiological associations in paediatric neuromuscular junction disorders
11: The results of clinical application of SPACE in suspected disorder of the neuromuscular junction
12: More advanced techniques
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3

Matthew Pitt, Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

Dr Matthew Pitt has been a Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital since 1990. He is responsible for all aspects of neurophysiological testing and has a particular specialist interest in paediatric electromyography (EMG). He has been lead clinician for the last seven years. Dr Pitt is acknowledged as one of the leading exponents of paediatric EMG, a specialist branch of electromyography, both nationally and internationally. Working at Great Ormond Street for many years, he has become an expert on the use in children of stimulation single fibre electromyography used in the diagnosis of myasthenic syndromes. This is acknowledged nationally and internationally.