Quantitative motor unit action potential analysis of paraspinal muscles, diagnostic imaging and necropsy findings in 36 horses suspected of cervical impairment

Aims:
To determine the relation between quantitative electromyography (QEMG) of the cervical ventral serratus muscle, radiographic findings and post-mortem gross and histopathological examination in order to calculate the ability of QEMG to localize the region of cervical compressive neuropathy and myelopathy in horses.

Methods:
In this clinical, non-randomised, partially blinded study (QEMG and histology), 36 warmblood horses with clinical suspicion of cervical spine disease were examined with QEMG in different segments of the ventral serratus muscle. Results were compared to normative data. Diagnostic imaging was performed in 28 cases. All horses were euthanized because of poor clinical prognoses and/or recurrent clinical neurological signs despite treatment and underwent necropsy with emphasis on the cervical nervous tissue and vertebrae. Clinical and diagnostic imaging findings, QEMG results and post mortem findings were compared with each other.

Results: Overall mean values of duration (9.54 ms), polyphasia, number of phases (3.6) and size index (0.67) in horses with cervical lesions were significantly (P.