The electrophysiological evaluation of root or spinal cord disease is complementary
to neuroimaging studies, providing information about functional rather than anatomical
integrity and information that is important for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.
The electrophysiological findings help to localize a lesion but are not pathognomonic
of specific diseases. The findings may also provide insight into underlying physiological
mechanisms that have been disrupted. A number of different electrophysiological techniques
are now in widespread use. Each of these techniques provides different information
and thus has distinct utility and limitations. The optimal evaluation of patients
with root or spinal cord disease requires an understanding of how these techniques
complement each other and depends on the individual clinical problem for which electrophysiological
assessment is requested.
Myelopathy - radiculopathy - electromyography - evoked potentials - late responses
