Training and education practice in the Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America and Asia Oceania chapters, IFCN; an international survey.

This paper presents results from the first survey of training and education undertaken by the Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEAC), the Latin America (LAC) and the Asia-Oceania (AOC) Chapters of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN). The survey was conducted initially by the EMEAC in 2012 and updated in 2016, 2019, and 2020. It had the following categories: status of specialty and training in member country (21 questions), competency and accreditation (12 questions), practice and concerns (23 questions).

Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring in Latin America: A bibliometric analysis.

Purpose: Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring (IOMM) has been used worldwide in the attempt to reduce postsurgical neurological deficits, however, most of the publications are from developed countries. There is a global bibliometric analysis of IOMN in spinal surgery, however, the contribution of Latin America (LA) is not mentioned. The aim of this study is to describe scientific productivity, patterns of publications, and thematic trends of IONM in LA.

Guidance for clinical neurophysiology examination throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Latin American chapter of the IFCN task force - COVID-19.

On 31st December 2019, China notified the World Health Organization of an outbreak of atypical pneumonia from patients at a local seafood market in Wuhan, Hubei, China, responsible for a new coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that caused COVID-19 disease, which spread rapidly around the world. WHO declared a state of pandemic (11th March, 2020), which has caused more than 1 million infected and more than 110,000 deaths; it was observed that up to 29% of those infected were health care personnel. The main route of transmission of SARS-CoV2 is through respiratory secretions and direct contact with contaminated surfaces and material.

Correction to: Is the new ASNM intraoperative neuromonitoring supervision "guideline" a trustworthy guideline? A commentary.

The article Is the new ASNM intraoperative neuromonitoring supervision "guideline" a trustworthy guideline? A commentary, written by Stanley A. Skinner, Elif Ilgaz Aydinlar, Lawrence F. Borges, Bob S.

Electrophysiology of Cranial Nerve Testing: Cranial Nerves IX and X.

The cranial nerves IX and X emerge from medulla oblongata and have motor, sensory, and parasympathetic functions. Some of these are amenable to neurophysiological assessment. It is often hard to separate the individual contribution of each nerve; in fact, some of the techniques are indeed a composite functional measure of both nerves.

Laryngeal Electromyography Techniques and Clinical Use.

Laryngeal electromyography is considered a valuable diagnostic tool for voice disorders. The technique, described almost 70 years ago, evolved 3 decades later, mainly because of the growing interest of laryngologists and speech pathologists. In the authors' opinion, the reduced number of neurophysiologists involved in laryngeal electromyography groups is, at some instance, related to the difficulty to start the learning process and the multidisciplinary approach the field requires.

Laryngeal Electromyography: Are the Results Reproducible?

Unlabelled: Laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) is an auxiliary diagnostic technique that is used to study neurologic diseases that affect the larynx. This study aimed to verify the reproducibility and accordance of LEMG findings obtained by different approaches applied to the same intrinsic laryngeal muscle in patients with neurologic disorders of the larynx.

Study Design: This study is prospective, blind, randomized, and controlled.

Laryngeal electromyography: contribution to vocal fold immobility diagnosis.

Laryngeal Electromyography (LEMG) is a diagnostic test commonly used in patients with vocal fold movement disorder. The aim of this study is to describe LEMG in patients with vocal fold immobility. A total of 55 dysphonic patients with vocal fold immobility diagnosed by laryngeal endoscopy were grouped according to probable clinical cause: 1) unknown; 2) traumatic; or 3) tumoral compression.

Laryngeal electromyography in movement disorders: preliminary data.

This study describes preliminary laryngeal electromyography (LEMG) data and botulinum toxin treatment in patients with dysphonia due to movement disorders. Twenty-five patients who had been clinically selected for botulinum toxin administration were examined, 19 with suspected laryngeal dystonia or spasmodic dysphonia (SD), 5 with vocal tremor, and 1 with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). LEMG evaluations were performed before botulinum toxin administration using monopolar electrodes.

Laryngeal electromyography in normal Brazilian population.

Quantitative analysis of normal values of motor unit action potentials duration and amplitude of muscles tireoaritenoideus (TA), cricotireoideus (CT), cricoaritenoideus lateralis (CAL), and cricoaritenoideus posterioris (CAP) was performed in 14 adult normal Brazilian volunteers. The recordings were obtained by percutaneously inserted concentric needle electrode. Different motor unit action potentials were manually selected in each muscle for quantitative computerized analysis of duration and amplitude.

Laryngeal electromyography: technical features.

Laryngeal Electromyography (LEMG) is an auxiliary diagnostic method used for the comprehension and diagnosis of different neurological diseases that compromise laryngeal function. The most common LEMG technique is the percutaneous insertion of needle electrodes guided by surface anatomical references. We describe techniques for inserting needle electrodes into the tireoaritenoideus (TA), cricotireoideus (CT), cricoaritenoideus lateralis (CAL) and cricoaritenoideus posterioris (CAP) muscles; these are used at UNICAMP laryngology ambulatory, we discuss difficulties found and their proposed solutions.

Blink reflex: comparison of latency measurements in different human races.

The blink reflex latencies and cephalometric indexes were analysed in 30 male volunteers from three different races, 10 white, 10 black, and 10 Oriental. Ages ranged from 15 to 59 years, height from 1,60 to 1,80 m, and weight from 60 to 80 kg. Blink reflexes were obtained after unilateral electric stimulation of the supraorbital nerve for quantitative analysis of 3 responses, early ipsilateral (R1), late ipsilateral (R2i) and late contralateral (R2c), obtained from the orbicularis oculi muscle.

The silent period in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis.

Silent period was evaluated in 20 adult male patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. Readings were obtained by supramaximal stimulus to the median nerve, during maximum isometric effort of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle against resistance. Two types of abnormalities were observed, motor neuron hypoexcitability with elongated silent period, and motor neuron hyperexcitability with reduction or absence of silent period.

Blink reflex in end-stage-renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis.

This study analyses the blink reflex in 20 adult male patients with terminal chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. Abnormalities were found in ten patients (50%), eight of them with conduction studies showing axonal peripheral neuropathy. Dialysis time was longer for patients with blink reflex alterations (median 55.

Effects of ethanol on human visual evoked potentials.

Studies of the effect of ethanol on human visual evoked potentials are rare and usually involve chronic alcoholic patients. The effect of acute ethanol ingestion has seldom been investigated. We have studied the effect of acute alcoholic poisoning on pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PR-VEP) and flash light visual evoked potentials (F-VEP) in 20 normal volunteers.

Ulnar-to-median nerve anastomosis in the forearm. Review and report of 2 new cases.

The ulnar-to-median nerve anastomosis in the forearm is a very rare occurrence, not mentioned in many anatomical text books. We found only 4 cases cited in medical literature. Here we describe 2 new cases, for which diagnosis was suspected when the compound muscle action potential of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle (APB), obtained by maximal stimulation of the median nerve at the elbow, was lower than that obtained at the wrist.

Silent period in carpal tunnel syndrome.

The silent period is a misunderstood electrophysiological phenomenon leading to several different hypotheses explaining its electrogenesis. It has been studied by different authors and different methodologies giving a wide variability of results, therefore an exact pattern of its normal values does not exist. This work was undertaken to define the normal morphology and duration of the silent period obtained by supramaximal stimulus of the median nerve, during maximum isometric effort of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle against resistance, using 20 adult volunteers without neurological alterations.

Test of a new technique for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Several new techniques for carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosis have been developed in the last few years. This work tests a technique that compares the distal motor latency of the median nerve to the second lumbrical muscle (2L) with the distal motor latency of the ulnar nerve to the interossei muscle (INT). Results from 40 normal hands give the superior limit of the normal difference (2L-INT) as 0.

Reconsiderations about the clinical importance of the sympathetic skin response.

Over the last few years, neurologists have been showing increasing interest in the study of the sympathetic skin response (SSR). In the present report we describe a simple method that permitted us to determine a wide variation of SSR in response to different stimuli such as respiration, deglutition, blinking, skeletal movements, biting, auditory or light stimuli, vocalization, and sphincter contraction. These results raise doubts about the role of SSR as a complementary diagnostic method.

Compression of the peripheral branches of the sciatic nerve by lipoma.

The authors report two female patients with chronic sensitive and motor findings in lower limbs caused by compression of distal branches of sciatic nerve by lipoma. Similar cases were not described on literature. Nerve conduction studies allowed to localize the exact site of compression.

[Immunohistochemistry in the anatomopathologic diagnosis].

In order to determine the value of immunohistochemical staining methods for morphologic diagnosis specimens of 949 cases received at the Immunohistochemistry Laboratory of the Department of Pathology of the Medical School of Botucatu, in the period 1984-1989 were reviewed. All of them were submitted to the immunoperoxidase staining (PAP or ABC). The main morphologic diagnosis was confirmed in 468 cases (49.

[The usefulness of immunohistochemical methods for the anatomopathologic diagnosis].

In order to determine the value of immunohistochemical staining methods for the morphologic diagnosis, we studied 949 histologic specimens sent for consultation to the Immunohistochemistry Laboratory of Department of Pathology of the Medical School of Botucatu in the period 1984-1989. All case were submitted to the immunoperoxidase staining with the methods PAP or ABC. Immunohistochemical stains confirmed the original morphologic diagnosis in 468 cases (49.