Transcranial magnetic stimulation can diagnose electrical burn-induced myelopathy

Introduction: We conducted motor- and sensory-evoked potential analyses and investigated their diagnostic value in differentiating between electrical burns without evidence of neurologic injury and those with clinical evidence of myelopathy. Methods: We studied high-voltage electrical burn injury patients with lower extremity weakness and evidence of myelopathy and those without any evidence of neurological complications. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs), and MRI studies of the spinal cord, as well as transcranial magnetic stimulations, were performed. The central motor conduction time (CMCT) was also calculated. Results: The upper limb MEP and upper and lower limb SEP variables did not statistically differ between the 2 groups. The CMCT and total motor conduction time recorded in the lower limb were delayed in the burn myelopathy group. MRI revealed no abnormal signal changes in myelopathy patients. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that MEP is useful in identifying myelopathy in patients who have sustained high-voltage electrical burns. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.