Transcranial magnetic stimulation can diagnose electrical burn-induced myelopathy.

Abstract

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. 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. 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. Our study demonstrates that MEP is useful in identifying myelopathy in patients who have sustained high-voltage electrical burns.