An accurate and specific diagnosis of myopathy is essential for at least three reasons; for prognosis, for genetic counselling with the family and for treatment planning.

Therefore this study reviewed one hundred and eighty-six cases on myopathy received by the EMG laboratory of Severance Hospital Yonsei University from January of 1972 to August of 1983. The age distribution varied from 13 months to 68 years and the male-female sex ratio was 2.8:1.

Cases were clinically classified in 6 groups such as progressive muscular dystrophy(PMD), myotonia, inflammatory myopathy etc., the most common being PMD. EMG examination showed characteristic features such as low amplitude and short duration motor unit action potentials with full interference pattern upon minimal or moderate effort in all cases.

Although the above EMG findings generally served to categorize the myopathies, there were no significant differences distinguishing one type from another.

Therefore it was essential that accurate diagnosis with various diagnostic studies including electrodiagnostic studies be made in order to plan the care of the patient and to properly counsel with parents.

Many authors have reported the importance of electrophysiologic changes in Diabetes Mellitus. However, the pathophysiology of peripheral polyneuropathy in diabetic patients is not yet well known.

The objective of this paper is to obtain the influence of age, duration, clinical symptoms and signs, and fasting blood sugar level to the electrophysiologic changes of peripheral nerve in diabetes mallitus.

Authors measured the values of peripheral nerve conduction velocity, distal latency and evoked potential amplitude in 56 non-insulin-dependent(type II) diabetes mellitus in Kang Nam St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Medical College from Jan. 1983 to Agu. 1983.

The results were as follws:

1) Of 56 patients, 41 cases(73.2%) were peripheral polyneuropahty in electrophysiologically.

2) Abnormal values of nerve conduction were decreased motor conduction velocity(75%), delayed motor distal latency(67.9%), decreased amplitude of motor response(47.9%) and decreased sensory evoked potential amplitude(25.0%) in the order of frequency.

3) Median motor nerve(82.1%) and peroneal nerve(60.4%) were most severely affected and facial nerve was involved in 15.6%.

4) There were a close correlation between electrophysiologic changes and clinical signs, and fasting blood sugar level.

5) Duration of diabetes mellitus was correlated to peripheral sensory neuropathy but not to the motor neuropathy.

6) Age was not important factor to effect on peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patient.

A clinical study of the carpal tunnel syndrome, the most common entrapment neuropathy, was done by the authors from 1979 till 1982. In this present study, we discussed the prevalance rate of carpal tunnel syndrome in Korea and the comparative value between conventional diagnostic criteria and residual motor latency including general consideration.

The summary of the results obtained was as follows:

1) Male patients were in relatively high proportion, and bilaterality was predominent in both sex.

2) Idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome was the most common, and the next common etiology was the peripheral neuropathy.

3) Sensory distal latency was more sensitive than the motor distal latency in our study.

4) As the duration became longer, sensory diatal latency was more prolonged and the more frequent abnormal spontaneous activity was found on the EMG.

5) On the nerve conducton study, the standardization of the measurement was required.

6) The prevalance rate of carpal tunnel syndrome was progressively increased year by year and it was probably due to progressive increasing tendency to confirm the carpal tunnel syndrome by EMG study.

Neurophysiologic studies are a valuable technique in the localization and prognosis of the peripheral nerve lesions.

Among the cranial nerves conduction latency changes have been in early detection of the lesion of the facial nerve and in prospect of the prognosis. There is an another cranial nerve which controls the movement of the neck and the shoulders and it can be easily studied outside of the skull; the accessory nerve.

In this study, measurements of the accessory nerves were performed bilaterally in 18 healthy Korean volunteers, 15 males and three females from 23 to 46 years of age.

The mean conduction latency for the accessory nerve was 2.21 msec. (S.D.=0.42) and for the mean conduction distance 7.74 cm (S.D.=1.11) in 36 nerves.

Confirmation of clinical impression is needed before operation for herniated nucleus pulposus and electromyography, myelography, diskography, radiculography and epidural venography etc. are used for this purpose.

We analysed the result of operation, electromyography and myelography, and the operative finding was compared to electromyographic and myelographic finding in 29 operative cases, 20 males and 9 females.

The results were as follows:

1) In cases of positive operative findings, the accuracy of electromyography was 82.7% & 89.6% respectively and there was no statistical significance in difference.

2) The accuracy of level localization in electromyography and myelography was 66.7% & 83.5% in L₄-L₅ and 33.3% & 77.7% in L₅-S₁ respectively and the 33.3% was increased to 88.8% when including the cases of L₅ radiculopathy.

3) In 6 cases, inconsistency was noted among operative, electromyographic and myelographic results and all of these cases had no motor weakness and no decrement of DTR. In 2 cases of negative electromyographic and positive operative findings, the durations of symptoms was only 3 days.

4) H-reflex was not a specific finding for S₁ radiculopathy.

5) Ruptured disc revealed more abnormalities in electromyographic and myelographic findings compared to non-ruptured disc, but no statistical significance.

Pregressive muscular dystrophy is a primary progressive degeneration of the striated muscle of unknown etiology, not curable but should be treated.

The purpose of this paper is to review the rate of natural progression according to the functional ability as related to age. 43 patients were evaluated with 29 cases of Duchenne type, 3 Becker type, 7 facioscapulohumeral and 4 limb-girdle types.

The results of the study showed that the rate of progress is faster than the report of Swinyard and Greenspan in Duchenne type. But no difference in other 3 types. 50% of Duchenne type has developed achilles tendon contractures while they are still in active functional ambulatory stage (functional stage 2), and the level of physical dysfunctioning is rapidly degraded. No patient was given hospital care or supervised exercises and no one was provided with mobility devices or sugical intervention.

The results of these studies should be considered the factors related in our psychosocio-cultural background. Parents conseling and active patient care should be focused effectively in rehabilitation program. The total management of the patient and family requires attention to psychosocial care and educational needs, especially in the rapidly progressive type such as Duchenne dystrophy.

During the period of March 1983 through November 1983, 500 children with physical disabilily in 15 different rehabilitation facilities were evaluated for the diagnosis. The most frequent diagnosis was cerebral palsy and the next frequent diagnosis was poliomyelitis.

And an evaluation of age incidence, sex incidence, types of cerebral palsy and PULSES profiles was done for the cerebral palsied which is the most frequent diagnosis.

Age of the children varied from 1 to over 27 and mean age was 9.1 with standard deviation of 5.0. Male was 56.7% and female was 43.3%.

Types of the cerebral palsied were classified into spastic, athetoid, mixed, ataxic, rigid, dystonic and unclassified. Each frequencies were spastic in 40.2%, athetoid in 55.2%, mixed in 2.5%, ataxic in 0.3%, rigid in 0.3%, dystonic in 0.3% and unclassified in 1.3%.

Physical states of the cerebral palsied were generally good (P1 was 94.4%). None function of the upper extremities(U4) were seen in 16.8% and severe distrubance of the upper extremities(U3) were seen in 33.8% of the cerebral palsied children. None ambulatory(L4) cerebral palsied were 43.3% and severe walking disturbance(L3) was seen in 37.4%. No functional speech(S4) was seen in 21.1% and severe disturbance(S3) in speech was seen in 20.9%.

Urinary and fecal incontinence(E4) was seen in 22.6%. And mental or psychological disturbance(S2+S3+S4) was seen in 10.4% of the cerebral palsied studied.

Findings of this study were similar to that of 1982.

The porphyrias are diseases that result from inherited or acquired abnormalities of porphyrin-heme synthesis in the liver and the bone marrow. Acute intermittent porphyria is characterized biochemically by hepatic overproduction of porphyrin precursors (ALA & PBG) and clinically by acute visceral and neurological dysfunction.

The authors experienced a case of acute intermittent porphyria and reviewed briefly literatures.

A 29 year old woman was complained of coliky abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting with constipation for 5 days and received operation at the Department of General Surgery under an impression of intestinal obstruction. The quadriplegia and paresthesia were developed on the postoperative 3rd day. Watson-Schwartz test was positive. After acute symptoms were subsided, she was transferred to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and a multidisciplinary team approach which includes physical and occupational therapy was employed for activities of daily living and functional recovery. She was independent in activities of daily living and was able to walk with short leg brace following comprehensive rehabilitation for 5 months.