ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the accuracy of electromyography (EMG) in localizing the compressed nerve root in lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion (LIDP) pre-operatively.Methods Data were collected on 198 cases of LIDP.Of those,152 cases had positive EMG findings and were treated surgically to relieve compression of the nerve roots caused by LIDP.The intra-operative findings were compared with the pre-operative EMG findings.Results The sensitivity of EMG in detecting radiculopathy was 76.8％ (152/198).Among those 152 EMG positive cases,140 were confirmed in the subsequent operation (92.1％),24 clinically suspected cases of single L5 or S1 compression had indicated of both L5 and S1 damage by EMG and subsequently confirmed on surgical exploration.Conclusions Almost all preoperative EMG findings were confirmed in the subsequent operations (92.1％).Moreover,the indication of combined double nerve root damage by EMG was valuable for guiding the surgical procedure.