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Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Abstract

Objective : To determine the correlation between the changing of parameters of nerveconduction study (NCS) and clinical symptoms in carpal tunnel syndrome(CTS) patients after conservative treatments.Design : Retrospective study.Setting : Electrodiagnosis Laboratory Unit, the Department of RehabilitationMedicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.Methods : All NCS reports from 1 Jan 2006 to 31 Dec 2008 were reviewed andstudies that met the inclusion criteria were recruited into the study. Allparameters of NCS included distal sensory latency (DSL), sensory nerveaction potential (SNAP) amplitude, distal motor latency (DML) and compoundmuscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude of median nerve that weretested at both pre- and post-treatments were recorded. The baselinecharacteristics and clinical responses to the treatments were reviewedand recorded from medical records (OPD card). Correlation coefficientswere analyzed by SPSS program by using Spearman’s rank correlationcoefficient.Results : Reports of 59 hands of 41 CTS patients were recruited into the study.Fifty-six percent of the hands revealed a good improvement of symptomsafter treatments. Correlation coefficients of the change in each NCSparameter (DSL, SNAP amplitude, DML and CMAP amplitude) and clinicalsymptoms were -0.337, 0.345, -0.228 and -0.004, respectively (p-value =0.009, 0.007, 0.082 and 0.974).Conclusion : The improvement of clinical symptoms was significantly correlated withthe change of sensory nerve conduction study including both of DSL andSNAP amplitude at a weak level (r < 0.4), while motor nerve conductionstudy did not show a significant correlation (neither DML nor CMAPamplitude).

Publisher

Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University

First Page

107

Last Page

115

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