Objective

To describe a refined technique for performing electrical impedance myography (EIM) in the rat and assess its reproducibility, long-term stability, and the effects of sciatic nerve injury.

Methods

EIM at 50 kHz was performed on the gastrocnemius–soleus complex of the rat hind limb in 12 rats, followed from 6 weeks of age for up to 6 months. Eight additional rats underwent sciatic nerve crush and 6 underwent a sham procedure.

Results

The EIM variables of resistance, reactance and phase demonstrated substantial change with growth until approximately 14 weeks of age, at which point the measurements stabilized, giving mean values of 6.0 ± 5.7 Ω, 22.1 ± 2.1 Ω, and 16.5 ± 1.1°, respectively, at 16 weeks of age. Immediate reproducibility of technique was high with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.91 and higher for all three parameters. Sciatic crush produced marked reductions in the reactance and phase that reversed over a several week period.

Conclusions

These results support that 50 kHz EIM can be performed effectively in adult rat models of neuromuscular disease with a straightforward experimental technique and that it is sensitive to neurogenic injury.

Significance

EIM can serve as a new approach to the study of neuromuscular disease in the rat.