Electrodiagnostic Evaluation in Patients with Cancer: What You Really Need to Know-Electrodiagnostic Evaluation in Patients with Cancer: What You Really Need to Know

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The video transcript discusses the use of electrodiagnosis in patients with cancer. The speakers highlight the different indications for electrodiagnostic evaluation, such as diagnosing nerve injury or neuropathy, determining the severity of nerve injury, and guiding treatment decisions. They also discuss the common nerve injuries and neuropathies that can occur in cancer patients, including brachial plexopathies, surgical neuropraxic injuries, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, radiation-induced damage, and perineoplastic neuropathies. The speakers emphasize the importance of precautions when conducting electrodiagnosis in cancer patients, such as considering the risk of infection or bleeding, especially in patients who are neutropenic or have low platelets. They also discuss the use of COVID-19 precautions during the pandemic. The speakers present several case studies to illustrate different scenarios in which electrodiagnosis can be helpful in assessing and managing nerve injury and neuropathies in cancer patients. They provide insights into the diagnosis and management of conditions like foot drop in a cancer patient, upper extremity weakness and pain after lymph node biopsy, and radiation fibrosis syndrome. They discuss the typical findings on nerve conduction studies and needle EMGs for these conditions. Overall, the use of electrodiagnosis can provide valuable information for diagnosing, managing, and improving the quality of life for cancer patients with nerve injuries and neuropathies.

Keywords

electrodiagnosis

cancer patients

nerve injury

neuropathy

treatment decisions

brachial plexopathies

chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

radiation-induced damage

precautions

quality of life