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Symmetry of normal motor and sensory nerve conduction measurements
Author(s) -
Bromberg Mark B.,
Jaros Lincoln
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4598(199804)21:4<498::aid-mus8>3.0.co;2-4
Subject(s) - sensory system , symmetry (geometry) , percentile , anatomy , sensory nerve , medicine , median nerve , electromyography , nerve conduction , physical medicine and rehabilitation , psychology , mathematics , neuroscience , surgery , geometry , statistics
Nerve conduction measurements in normal subjects are assumed to be symmetric, but the normal limits of symmetry have not been determined. Full data on the limits of symmetry for commonly studied nerves are important in the clinical interpretation of nerve conduction data. We selected normal electrodiagnostic studies from archived electromyographic laboratory reports that included bilateral measurements of motor and sensory nerves. Symmetry of nerve conduction measures was confirmed, and only the median and ulnar sensory nerves had significant deviations from symmetry, supporting subclinical nerve damage in the most common dominant hand. The limits of symmetry were determined by calculating the 95th percentile for the differences between sides. For motor and sensory nerves, the range of 95th percentile limits was narrower for measures in upper extremity nerves compared to lower extremity nerves. Several reasons are offered for the wider limits of symmetry in lower extremity nerves. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 21:498–503, 1998.