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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Movement Disorders
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1499668

Quantifying the Split Elbow Sign: A Comprehensive Study in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Provisionally accepted
Sheng-yi  He Sheng-yi He Wei-chen  Cai Wei-chen Cai Weiming  Su Weiming Su Qing-qing  Duan Qing-qing Duan Zheng  Jiang Zheng Jiang Kang-fu  Yin Kang-fu Yin Bei  Cao Bei Cao Xiao-Jing  Gu Xiao-Jing Gu Yong-ping  Chen Yong-ping Chen *
  • Department of Neurology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Abstract Purpose The split elbow sign (SES), characterized by preferential dysfunction of the biceps brachii compared to triceps, is a clinical feature observed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the quantified SES index has not been extensively investigated and its role in diagnosing ALS remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the split elbow Index (SEI) derived from compound muscle action potential (CMAP), motor unit number index (MUNIX), and echo intensity (EI) in ALS. Methods A cohort comprising seventy individuals diagnosed with ALS, along with 41 disease controls and 40 healthy controls, was recruited for the study. The SEI was calculated by dividing the recorded values of CMAP, MUNIX, and EI obtained over the biceps brachii by the corresponding value measured in the triceps, resulting in SEICMAP, SEIMUNIX, and SEIEI respectively. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves of the three methods were performed for comparison. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS V.26.0. and R software. Results Both SEICMAP and SEIMUNIX demonstrated significant reductions in ALS patients compared to that in controls (PSEICMAP < 0.0001, PSEIMUNIX < 0.0001), while SEIEI showed an elevation (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, there was a notable decrease in SEIMUNIX values as the disease progressed (P < 0.001). Moreover, ROC for SEIMUNIX exhibited superior diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.846), and a comprehensive diagnostic approach combining SEICMAP, SEIMUNIX and SEIEI resulted in AUC (0.90) on the ROC curve. Conclusion Our study suggests SES has emerged as a significant clinical characteristic in ALS, and indicates the potential of SES indicators as biomarkers for both diagnosis and assessment of disease progression in ALS.

    Keywords: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, split elbow sign, split elbow index, diagnosis, neuroelectrophysiology

    Received: 21 Sep 2024; Accepted: 05 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 He, Cai, Su, Duan, Jiang, Yin, Cao, Gu and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yong-ping Chen, Department of Neurology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

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