Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40143700›Full record

SynthesisPain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain2025

The clinical value of EMG and SSEP in diagnosing chronic pelvic pain syndrome; a systematic review.

M C Wissing, S E I van der Wal, S Bongarts, J Aarnink, K J B Notten, S M J van Kuijk, A H D M Dam, K C P Vissers, K B Kluivers, N van Alfen

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. The clinical value of EMG and SSEP in diagnosing chronic pelvic pain syndrome; a systematic review.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2025
    Pooled it
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

10 authors.

M C WissingDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6393-5258
S E I van der WalDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
S BongartsThe Department of Emergency, St. Jans Gasthuis Weert, Weert, The Netherlands.
J AarninkDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
K J B NottenDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
S M J van KuijkDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Technology Assessment, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2796-729X
A H D M DamDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Clinique Ambroise Paré, Toulouse, France.
K C P VissersDepartment of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
K B KluiversDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4681-4304
N van AlfenDepartment of Neurophysiology and Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) is pain in the region of the lower pelvis for three months or longer. Which is often accompanied by complaints of organ systems in the lower abdomen. CPPS is often a subjective diagnosis where electrodiagnostic tests are recommended as a supplement in defining a diagnosis.

objectiveSynthesize the clinical studies that describe electrodiagnostic testing in humans with a clinical diagnosis of CPPS. EVIDENCE REVIEW: Registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024510404). A systematic search in Medline/PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of science, from inception till February 2024, complemented with reference examining. Two reviewers independently reviewed titles, abstracts, and full-text papers, and performed data extraction. Reviews were excluded, and papers were included if patients were clinically diagnosed with CPPS and underwent EMG and/or SSEP. The QUADAS-2 tool was used to assess the quality of studies.

findingsFourteen papers were included concerning EMG and/or SSEP, nine papers reported on EMG and five on SSEP. In total, 432 patients clinically diagnosed with CPPS underwent electrodiagnostic testing. 152/277 patients showed abnormalities on EMG and 102/155 patients had abnormal findings on SSEP. Due to the lack of quantitative data, no meta-analysis could be performed.

conclusionsAbnormalities on electrodiagnostic testing are seen in half of the patients with CPPS, and therefore not recommended as a substitute in the diagnostic process. The low number of patients enrolled in this review needs to be taken into consideration when interpreting the results. Further research on the sensitivity of EMG and/or SSEP in PN is recommended.

Indexed as

Chronic PainElectromyographyEvoked Potentials, SomatosensoryPelvic PainHumanselectrodiagnostic testingEMGpudendal neuralgiaSSEP

Identifiers

PMID40143700
PMCPMC11947716

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.