Motor evoked potentials from the striated urethral sphincter and puborectal muscle: Normative values

Abstract

Our data can serve as reference values for future studies of the fast conducting fibers in patients with sphincter dysfunction. The height of the patient should be taken into account. The clinical applicability of the method is questionable.

Postural and respiratory functions of the pelvic floor muscles

“…Pre-programmed postural adjustments are known to be controlled by multiple regions in the nervous system including the motor cortex and pre-motor areas. 36,37 Although the PFM receive corticospinal inputs, 18 whether these are involved in organization of the postural activity of the PFM is unclear. Furthermore, in animals, nucleus retroambiguus, which contributes to control of IAP via inputs to the abdominal motoneurons, also innervates the motoneurons of the PFM, located in Onuf's nucleus in the sacral spinal cord.…”

“…When such challenges are predictable, activity of these muscles is initiated in advance of the perturbation and are pre-programmed by the nervous system. 17 Although spinal and cortical 18 mechanisms for control of the PFM have been studied, it is not known whether the nervous system activates the PFM as part of these anticipatory postural adjustments.…”

Motor evoked potentials from the pelvic floor in patients with multiple sclerosis

“…These values were all significantly prolonged compared with results from our studies of 30 healthy women. 15 In 2 of 16 patients AH responses to cortical stimulation were absent despite facilitation. Even lower response rates to cortical stimulation were encountered with recordings from the pelvic floor muscles.…”

“…The success rate was increased with facilitation in our group of healthy controls, where we also verified the ability to contract the pelvic floor in all patients. 15 (See fig 1). However, not all of our patients with MS could voluntarily contract the pelvic floor, a factor that might have affected the lack of increase in success rate with facilitation.…”

“…MEPs were scored as abnormal if the CMCT was longer than reference values +2SD. 15 Cortical latencies where used when CMCT could not be calculated. Normality was confirmed with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.…”