Newswise — A recent publication regarding ultrasound in EMG led the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine to award Dr. Lisa D. Hobson-Webb its 2019 Scientific Impact Award in neurology.
The AANEM is the premier nonprofit membership association dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, education, and technology in the fields of neuromuscular (NM), musculoskeletal (MSK), and electrodiagnostic (EDX) medicine. Its annual Achievement Award winners highlight prolific members of AANEM and their contributions to advancing these fields of medicine.
Dr. Hobson-Webb served as Chair of the AANEM Professional Practice Committee from 2014-18 and currently serves on the Ultrasound Committee. She is also an Associate Editor of Muscle & Nerve and the President of the International Society for Peripheral Neurophysiological Imaging, and is an Associate Professor at Duke University, serving as Director of the Neuromuscular Ultrasound Program and Director of the Duke MDA Clinic.
The Scientific Impact Award recognizes mid-career AANEM members for serving as a first, second or senior author on a published paper in a national or international peer-reviewed, indexed journal within the past several years.
Dr. Hobson-Webb served as first author on an Oct. 2016 article in Muscle & Nerve titled “Ultrasound in EMG-Guided Biopsies: A Prospective, Randomized Pilot Trial.” This study revealed that ultrasound did not provide any added advantage when used to guide a biopsy within a muscle previously selected by EMG. Further studies will examine the role of muscle ultrasound in muscle selection.
“Many muscle biopsies are non-diagnostic, so I was looking for ways to improve the quality of testing by localizing sites of pathology using ultrasound,” she said of her work. “I hope that others will use the information from this study to design larger and better studies on the topic of ultrasound-guided muscle biopsies.”
Dr. Hobson-Webb believes a larger study could further shed light on some of the conclusions from the 2016 article.
“A limitation of our study was that we compared ultrasound guidance to EMG guidance. I would like to see a study where ultrasound and EMG guided biopsies are compared to biopsy sites chosen through clinical examination,” she said. “Future studies should also incorporate other ultrasound technologies, including assessment of intramuscular blood flow and possibly elastography.”
An AANEM member since 2004 and current member of the AANEM Board of Directors, Dr. Hobson-Webb received her medical degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine internship as well as residency training at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, and a neuromuscular fellowship and an advanced NM fellowship at Duke University Medical Center.
To learn more about AANEM and its Achievement Award winners, visit www.aanem.org.
About American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM)
Based in Rochester, Minnesota, the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) is the premier nonprofit membership association dedicated to the advancement of neuromuscular (NM), musculoskeletal and electrodiagnostic (EDX) medicine. The organization and its members work to improve the quality of patient care and advance the science of NM diseases and EDX medicine by serving physicians and allied health professionals who care for those with muscle and nerve disorders.
For more information about AANEM, visit www.aanem.org or find us on Facebook and Twitter.
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