Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38235844›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of neurology2024

Neuromuscular ultrasound in combination with nerve conduction studies helps identify inflammatory motor neuropathies from lower motor neuron syndromes.

Lei Zhang, Yi Li, Jingwen Niu, Nan Hu, Jianfeng Ding, Liying Cui, Mingsheng Liu

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of neurology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Value of ultrasound-detected fasciculations for the early diagnosis of motor neuron disease in patients with single-segment, pure lower motor neuron involvement.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Lei ZhangDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-6425-7804
Yi LiDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Jingwen NiuDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0001-7276-1077
Nan HuDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4046-8439
Jianfeng DingDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Liying CuiDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-5369-1541
Mingsheng LiuDepartment of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0003-0257-5345
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College · CN

Funding

CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences CIFMS 2021-I2M-1-003National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding 2022-PUMCH-B-017National Key Research and Development Program of China 2016YFC0905103the Strategic Priority Research Program (Pilot study) "Biological basis of aging and therapeutic strategies" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences grant XDB39040000
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background and purposeIdentifying patients with inflammatory motor neuropathies (IMNs) is warranted since effective treatments are available and the prognosis of these patients differs from that of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.

methodsBetween January 2019 and May 2022, 102 consecutive treatment-naïve lower motor neuron syndrome (LMNS) patients were recruited; these patients were suspected of having multifocal motor neuropathy, pure motor chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with initial lower motor neuron presentation. Neuromuscular ultrasound (US) and nerve conduction studies (NCSs) were conducted at baseline. Relevant diagnostic investigations were performed if clinically warranted. The proposed US evidence of IMN was as follows: (i) nerve enlargement at ≥1 of the predetermined sites or (ii) absence of high intensity fasciculations in predefined muscle groups. Final diagnoses were made by experienced physicians after a prolonged follow-up period (≥12 months). IMN patients were defined as LMNS patients who experienced convincing improvements in response to immunotherapies. IMN patients without electrodiagnostic demyelinating features were diagnosed with treatment-responsive LMNS (TR-LMNS).

resultsIn total, 16 patients were classified as IMN, including nine chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy/multifocal motor neuropathy patients and seven TR-LMNS patients. Six TR-LMNS patients were identified by neuromuscular US. The sensitivity and specificity of NCSs, nerve US and muscle US were 56.3% and 100%, 43.8% and 90.7% and 68.8% and 97.7%, respectively. When these three modalities were combined, the sensitivity and specificity were 93.8% and 88.4%, respectively.

conclusionNeuromuscular US studies are supplementary modalities to NCSs, and the combined use of these techniques might improve the identification of IMNs in LMNS patients.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisMotor Neuron DiseasePolyneuropathiesPolyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory DemyelinatingHumansMotor NeuronsNerve Conduction StudiesNeural Conductionamyotrophic lateral sclerosisdiagnosisinflammatory motor neuropathylower motor neuron syndromeneuromuscular ultrasound

Identifiers

PMID38235844
PMCPMC11235880
OpenAlexW4390985073

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.