XIA Niange,WANG Xinshi,ZHANG Wanli, et al. Clinical analysis and electromyogram study of Pancoast syndrome[J]. JOURNAL OF WEZHOU MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, 2014, 44(11): 842-.
Abstract：Objective: To investigate the clinical feature of pancoast syndrome, summarizing its causes and exploring the significance of electromyography in the early diagnosis. Methods: Two patients of pancoast syndrome were diagnosed in our hospital from June 2012 to April 2014, electromyogram (EMG), chest CT, neck and chest MRI or PET-CT and biopsy were performed and summarized. Results: Chest CT and thoracic MRI of one case revealed a superior sulcus tumour with an invasion of the adjacent vertebral body and appendix, EMG suggested a lower brachial plexopathy. Cervical MRI of the other case revealed a protrusion of C4-7 cervical intervertebral disc, a PET/CT scan showed obvious increased FDG uptake in the apex of the left hemithorax extending into the adjacent chest wall, T1-2 vertebral body and T1-2 ribs, EMG suggested isolated C8-T1 cervical radiculopathy. Both of 2 cases were confirmed by biopsy with a poorly differentiated non-small-cell lung carcinoma, presenting with pancoast syndrome. Conclusion: Main causes of Pancoast syndrome are neoplasms and infectious processes. The special initial clinical manifestation of Pancoast syndrome with shoulder and back pain is responsible for the observed delay in diagnosis. EMG plays a possible ancillary role in directing the course of diagnosis in challenging cases of Pancoast syndrome.
