[Lombosacral radiculopathy (L3-S1) and specificity of multifidus EMG]

Abstract

Aims of the study: This prospective study tried to establish, in a group of patients with lombosacral radiculopathy, whether the electromyography of the multifidus muscles following the "Paraspinal Mapping" described by Haig and colleagues (1991, 1993, 1995, 1997) allows to specify the exact level of the radiculopathy.

Material and methods: Twenty-three patients with symptoms of mono or pluriradiculopathy were submitted to an EMG of the lower limbs and multifidus muscles at different levels in accordance to the "Paraspinal Mapping" cartography.

Results and conclusion: No patient had signs of acute denervation in the multifidus muscles that corresponded exclusively to the suspected levels as determined by clinical and radiological examinations. No patient had signs of acute denervation in the multifidus muscles without associated signs in the lower limb muscles. Conversely, four patients had signs of acute denervation in the lower limb muscles without any signs in the multifidus muscles. In our small series, the EMG of the multifidus muscles was neither sensitive nor specific and did not allow by itself topographical diagnosis.