This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.
Abstract
Objective: To determine whether there are any differences in nerve conduction study results
between blacks and whites.
Design: The following studies were performed: median, ulnar, peroneal, and tibial motor studies;
median and ulnar mixed motor/sensory studies; sural and radial sensory studies; and
H-reflex studies.
Setting: Private office or university-based clinic.
Participants: Fifty adult blacks and 50 adult whites who met inclusion criteria, recruited through
advertisements.
Main Outcome Measures: Differences between blacks and whites were compared to determine whether they exceeded
a cutoff of 0.2msec for latencies, 20% difference for amplitudes, 5m/sec for conduction
velocity, and 1.2msec for H-reflex times. A repeated analysis of variance was performed
to detect statistically significant differences (defined as p ≤ .01).
Results: Only values for the mean peroneal and tibial motor latencies exceeded the cutoff
times. The mean peroneal response was faster by 0.3msec and the mean tibial response
was slower by 0.3msec in blacks than whites. These differences were not statistically
significant at a level of p ≤ .01.
Conclusion: There is no significant difference between blacks and whites in normal nerve conduction
study findings in healthy adults.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Archives of Physical Medicine and RehabilitationAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- AAEM minimonograph #14: The influence of temperature in clinical neurophysiology.Muscle Nerve. 1991; 14: 795-811
- Standardized nerve conduction studies in the upper limb of the healthy elderly.Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 1992; 71: 263-271
- Median and ulnar nerve conduction studies: normative data for young adults.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1994; 75: 259-264
- Effects of age, sex, and anthropometric factors on nerve conduction measures.Muscle Nerve. 1992; 15: 1095-1104
- Temperature dependence of the electrical and mechanical responses of the adductor pollicis muscle in humans.Muscle Nerve. 1990; 13: 259-262
- The non-linear relationship between nerve conduction velocity and skin temperature.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1989; 52: 497-501
- Temperature effect on antidromic and orthodromic sensory nerve action potential latency and amplitude.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1987; 68: 549-552
- The effects of temperature on human compound action potentials.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1981; 44: 407-413
- Human sensory nerve compound action potential amplitude: variation with sex and finger circumference.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1980; 43: 925-928
- Effects of age, temperature, and disease on the refractoriness of human nerve and muscle.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1978; 41: 65-71
- Nerve conduction velocity: relationship of skin, subcutaneous, and intramuscular temperature.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1980; 61: 199-203
- Nerve conduction velocity varies inversely with height.Muscle Nerve. 1981; 4: 520-523
- Temperature effects on conduction studies of normal and abnormal nerve.Muscle Nerve. 1982; 5: S145-S147
- AAEM minimonograph #47: Normative data in electrodiagnostic medicine.Muscle Nerve. 1997; 20: 4-14
- Sensory conduction velocities in healthy Nigerian adults.Afr J Med Med Sci. 1983; 12: 173-176
- Covariates of human peripheral nerve function: I. nerve conduction velocity and amplitude.Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1994; 16: 95-104
- Electrodiagnostic medicine.Hanley and Belfus, Philadelphia (PA)1995
- Electrodiagnosis in diseases of nerve and muscle: principles and practice.2nd ed. F.A. Davis, Philadelphia (PA)1989
- Sensory and motor conduction velocities in the ulnar and median nerves.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1966; 47: 511-519
- Diagnostic specificity of motor and sensory nerve conduction variables in the carpal tunnel syndrome.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1973; 54: 69-74
- Ulnar nerve conduction velocity: effect of elbow position on measurement.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1971; 52: 362-365
- Determining the distal sensory latency measurement of the superficial radial nerve in normal adult subjects.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1981; 62: 31-34
- AAEM minimonograph #26: The electrodiagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome.Muscle Nerve. 1997; 20: 1477-1486
- Tape and caliper surface measurements in determination of peroneal nerve conduction velocity.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1969; 50: 214-218
- Conduction studies of the anterior and posterior tibial nerves.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1970; 51: 164-169
- Standardization of H reflex and diagnostic use in S1 radiculopathy.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1974; 55: 161-166
- Sural nerve conduction: a standardized technique.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1977; 58: 166-168
- Conduction velocity in proximal and distal segments of motor fibers of the ulnar nerve of human beings.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1962; 43: 57-60
- Applied linear statistical models.3rd ed. Irwin, Burr Ridge (IL)1990
- Median and ulnar distal motor and sensory latencies in the same normal subject.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1977; 58: 297-302
- Median and radial sensory latencies to digit I: normal values and usefulness in carpal tunnel syndrome.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1987; 68: 140-141
- Electrodiagnostic aspects of carpal tunnel syndrome.Arch Neurol. 1967; 16: 635-641
- Carpal tunnel syndrome: sensitive techniques for diagnosis.American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine. 1993;
- The evaluation of suspected ulnar neuropathy at the elbow: normal conduction study values.Arch Neurol. 1986; 43: 44-47
- Motor and sensory ulnar nerve conduction velocities; effect of elbow position.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1983; 64: 227-232
- H reflex latency in the healthy elderly.Muscle Nerve. 1994; 17: 161-167
- Carpal tunnel syndrome: use of palmar stimulation of sensory fibers.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1983; 64: 16-19
- The electromyographer's handbook.2nd ed. Little, Brown and Company, Boston (MA)1989
- Negative symptoms and signs of peripheral nerve disease.in: Brown W.F. Bolton C.F. Clinical electromyography. 2nd ed. Butterworth-Heinemann, Stoneham (MA)1993: 93-116
- Body mass index effect on common nerve conduction study measurements.Muscle Nerve. 1998; 21: 1398-1404
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
August 7,
1998
Received:
May 8,
1998
Footnotes
☆Supported by Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation-Education and Research Foundation New Investigator Award and by TECA Inc., Excel Tech Ltd., Dantec Medical, Sham Inc., and Lafayette Instrument.
☆☆No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the author or upon any organization with which the author is associated.
Identification
Copyright
© 1999 Published by Elsevier Inc.
