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Nerve enlargement after cold exposure: A pilot study with ultrasound imaging
Author(s) -
Ulaşli Alper Murat,
Tok Fatih,
Karaman Aylin,
Yaman Fatima,
Dikici Ömer,
Oruç Serdar,
Özçakar Levent
Publication year - 2014
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/mus.23947
Subject(s) - medicine , forearm , median nerve , carpal tunnel syndrome , carpal tunnel , ultrasound , anatomy , edema , electrophysiology , anesthesia , surgery , radiology
: Changes of electrophysiogical parameters with regard to cold have been studied intensively but not the morphology of nerves. We explored the effects of cold exposure on median nerve morphology. Methods : Cross‐sectional area (CSA) and depth of the right median nerve were assessed at the carpal tunnel and mid‐forearm levels before and after 15 min ice‐pack application in 34 healthy volunteers. Results : After cooling, mean CSA measurements increased at the carpal tunnel and mid‐forearm levels (from 8.00 to 8.85 and 6.64 to 7.55, respectively, P < 0.05); however, the depth values were similar. Conclusions : These preliminary results revealed that cold exposure may cause acute nerve swelling. Further studies with larger samples will be necessary to confirm our findings, to correlate them with electrophysiological data, and to explore when/how the nerve edema resolves. Muscle Nerve 49:502–505, 2014