ELECTROMYOGRAPHY & ELECTRONEUROGRAPHY LAB
ELECTROMYOGRAPHY AND ELECTRONEUROGRAPHY LABORATORY
General information
The laboratory was the first one to be created in Greece, in 1961, by Professor I. Patrikios and under the supervision of Associate Professor K. Ligidakis. Since its creation, it has conducted examinations on more than 45,000 patients, many of whom have been examined more than twice. Since 2000, all exams are archived electronically. The archive from 1961 to 2000 has also been digitized.
Examinations
The lab can perform all main tests that are performed in specialized international clinical neurophysiology laboratories. Tests include:
- Electromyography (EMG)
- Quantitative EMG
- Motor Nerve Conduction Velocity (MCV)
- Sensory Nerve Conduction Velocity
- F-Wave
- H-reflex
- Single-Fiber Electromyography (SF-EMG)
- Repetitive Nerve Stimulation (RNS)
- Tendon Reflexes
- Blink Reflex
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
TMS mainly assesses electrical conduction along:
The pyramidal pathway (after stimulation of the cerebral cortex)
Peripheral nerves (after root or nerve stimulation).
- Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (SEP)
- Sympathetic Skin Response (SSR)
- Thermal (Hot-Cold) Sensitivity Threshold (Quantitative Sensory Testing - QST)
- Motor Unit Number Estimation (MUNE).
Space & equipment
The laboratory operates in the laboratories building, in a space of approximately 60 m2. Main equipment includes:
- 2 Electromyographs: (a) Medtronic Keypoint NET and (b) Nihon Kohden
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator (TMS): Magstim
- Thermal Sensitivity Threshold: Triple T.
Frequent diseases - Referrals to the laboratory
The laboratory examines patients with diseases of the Peripheral Nervous System and Muscles, commonest of which are:
- Mononeuritis (traumatic, compressive, autoimmune)
- Polyneuropathy (toxic, infectious, autoimmune, hereditary, etc.)
- Radiculopathy
- Plexopathy
- Motor Neuron disorders
- Neuromuscular synapse disorders (Myasthenia, myasthenic syndrome)
- Myopathies.
The lab conducts exams on patients hospitalized in Eginition Hospital, referred to our general and special outpatient clinics, hospitalized in other Athens hospitals (mainly Aretaieio, Alexandra, Laiko, Hippocration, Children Hospitals). Patients from other prefectures are also often referred, mainly from central and southern Greece.
The laboratory has established and used reference values for all tests performed, in accordance to clinical neurophysiology practice.
Head of the Laboratory :
Kokotis Panagiotis, Associate Professor
Other staff:
Anagnostou Evaggelos, Associate Professor
Gonni Dionysia: Nurse
Contact Phone:
210 7289216
Educational activities
1. The laboratory trains Residents in Neurology, Fellows in Clinical Neurophysiology, other Neurologists training in Clinical Neurophysiology, 5th year Medical students and Nursing students.
2. Doctoral thesis work
3. Elective course for medical students: "Introduction to Clinical Neurophysiology"
4. Lectures, seminars and case presentations at meetings of the Hellenic Neurological Society and the Hellenic Clinical Neurophysiology Society
5. Participation in the Postgraduate Program "Clinical Neurophysiology" with theoretical courses and practical training of students
6. Monthly meetings with Neurologists in Attica to discuss interests and rare cases
7. Weekly meetings with the doctors of the Neuromuscular Disease Ward and the Laboratory of Myopathology to discuss interesting and rare cases.