Decision support for clinical neurophysiology

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Disorders of muscle and nerve change the structure and organization of the muscles involved. Characteristics of clinical electromyographic (EMG) signals suitably detected from affected muscles reflect the degree and type of disorder present. Physicians currently, subjectively and qualitatively, assess EMG signal characteristics to support diagnosis, treatment and management of specific disorders. This assessment is highly dependent on physician skill and experience. Furthermore, assessment of the severity of involvement and the sensitivity with which progressive changes can be tracked is limited. Quantitative electromyography (QEMG) involves the detection and analysis of EMG signals to calculate statistics for neuromuscular characterization. QEMG can improve the specificity and sensitivity of neuromuscular assessments and track longitudinal changes associated with specific treatment or management regimes. However, a method for completing the crucial step of interpreting QEMG data to produce a neuromuscular characterization is currently needed.