Abstract
Introduction: The aim of this study was to formulate diagnostic hallmarks of axonal degeneration and demyelination in sensory nerve conduction studies (NCS). Methods: We compared nerve conduction data obtained with surface electrode (SE) NCS and on-nerve needle (ONN) NCS in 50 cases of demyelination and 22 cases of axonal degeneration as assessed by sural nerve biopsy. Results: The overall diagnostic sensitivities of sensory nerve conduction were 26% by SE-NCS and 69% by ONN-NCS. The most helpful marker for demyelination was negative-peak nerve conduction velocity (NP-NCV), using a 36% decrease from the means in both techniques. Dispersion was also helpful in identifying demyelination. Low amplitude and absence of compound nerve action potential were indicative of general pathology in SE-NCS but of axonal degeneration in ONN-NCS. Conclusion: Although diagnostic sensitivity is low, NP-NCV and dispersion can be used for diagnosis of demyelination in sensory NCS.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 866-871 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Muscle and Nerve |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jun 2016 |
Keywords
- Demyelination
- Diagnostic hallmark
- Nerve biopsy
- On-nerve needle nerve conduction
- Sensory nerve conduction