Normative Reference Values for the Dorsal Sural Nerve Derived from a Large Multicenter Cohort

Overview

Journal Clin Neurophysiol Pract

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Neurology

Date 2021 Oct 4

PMID 34604609

Citations 4

Authors

Thomas Kroigard

Sandra S Gylfadottir

Mustapha Itani

Karolina S Khan

Henning Andersen

Soren H Sindrup

Troels S Jensen

Kjeld V Andersen

Hatice Tankisi

Sandor Beniczky

Alexander Gramm Kristensen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: Dorsal sural nerve conduction studies (NCS) may increase the sensitivity for the diagnosis of polyneuropathy, but clinical use is limited by a lack of reliable normative reference values in all age-groups. The aim of our study was to develop reference values for the dorsal sural nerve, based on a large multicenter cohort of healthy subjects.

Methods: Bilateral antidromic NCS were performed using standard surface electrodes in 229 healthy subjects (aged 21-80 years; median: 54 years). We assessed the normality of data distribution for amplitudes and conduction velocity (CV) and for their logarithmic (ln) transformation. The effects of age and height were determined using linear regression analysis.

Results: Sensory potentials were present in all subjects. Logarithmically transformed data were normally distributed. Age and height were most significantly associated with amplitude, and age and height with CV, respectively. There was no significant side-difference. Mean amplitudes (right and left) were 4.8 and 4.9 μV and mean CV 46.7 and 46.9 m/s. Reference limits were e for amplitude and e for CV.

Conclusions: Dorsal sural nerve NCS are robust and have well defined normative limits.

Significance: The findings provide a basis for more sensitive NCS in clinical practice and future studies of the diagnostic accuracy of NCS in polyneuropathy.

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Conduction studies on the sural nerve.

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Reply to "Conduction studies on the sural nerve".

Kroigard T, Andersen K, Tankisi H, Beniczky S, Kristensen A Clin Neurophysiol Pract. 2022; 7:25-26.

PMID: 35079667 PMC: 8777115. DOI: 10.1016/j.cnp.2021.11.003.

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