Marcus Sofia Ziegler, Renata Siciliani Scalco, Erasmo de Abreu Zardo, Jefferson Becker and Irenio Gomes
Background: There is no single test that defines properly lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) diagnosis, and diagnosis
of the syndrome continues to rely on clinical judgment. LSS symptoms may be broad and may be seen in multiple
disorders in elderly.
Hypothesis: To identify the role of electromyography and nerve-conduction studies on LSS diagnosis.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study with prospective data collection was conducted. 31
symptomatic patients with LSS confirmed by MRI were evaluated with neurophysiology tests. We compared
symptoms and neurophysiologic findings.
Results: All patients reported pain, 83.9% of patients reported it to be moderate or severe and 90% of patients
took pain medication. LSS did not affect NCS or SSR. Electromyography confirmed high frequency of radiculopathy,
particularly multiradiculopathy. L5 and S1 roots were the most susceptible to injuries. We also found a higher
prevalence of L4 radiculopathy.
Discussion: Correlating electromyography with clinical findings, we found that the clinical presentation, the most
important starting point of an evaluation, is poor in terms of identifying radiculopathy, a frequent consequence of
LSS. For this reason, we suggest that electromyography may play an important role as a diagnostic tool, being
useful in determining when symptoms are neurogenic in nature. In addition, it may serve to focus treatment only in
the area where it is really necessary
