Usefulness of combined electrophysiological examinations for detection of neural dysfunction in cats with lumbar hematomyelia

We conducted combined electrophysiological examinations including F-wave, motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), spinal cord-evoked potential (SCEP), and needle electromyography (EMG) in two cats involved in traffic accidents that consequently developed hind limb paralysis caused by lumbar hematomyelia. F-wave could no longer be elicited within 3 days after the accident, and the MNCV and compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude decreased in a time-dependent manner, with CMAP no longer being evoked after 7 or 8 days. EMG showed abnormalities such as fibrillation and positive sharp waves after 6 to 8 days. These results suggest that such combined electrophysiological examinations may provide objective, quantitative data for motor nerve dysfunction in cats with lumbar hematomyelia.